It’s Monday! What are you reading?
Some Mondays have passed and I haven’t shared – report cards, end of the year busy, my daughter’s incredible dance show – all pulled me away. Now, I need to play catch up!
Each week I share at least one reading photo of the week. Here are a few.
Reading a little Dan Santat to an imaginary audience
Serious fan of the Fan Brothers.
#classroombookaday titles to share
Wonderfully weird and wild.
Interacting with animals.
Some of my absolute favourites.
Classroom Highlights
We have been making book lists of our favourite titles of the year. This is serious business!
There are book piles everywhere!
Making sure we don’t miss any!
Laying it all out. 
Symmetry play in math.
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.
Books I loved
Little Robot Alone written by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlin Charest with illustrations by Matt Phelan
I am partial to Phelan’s illustrations. Pretty darn cute. A little robot needs a friend and what a wonderful companion he creates!
If I Had a Horse by Gianna Marino
Just beautiful. Whimsical pages. Horse dreams.
On the Night of the Shooting Star written by Amy Hest and illustrated by Jenni Desmond
We can never have enough delightful and charming friendship books. This one is extra special.
A Bike Like Sergio’s by Maribeth Boelts and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones
So impressed with this team that creates picture books that allow us to look at children’s lives where money is not easy. This book explores challenging, ethical decisions in a child’s life and is so, so well done.
When Sophie Thinks She Can’t… by Molly Bang
All about growth mindset and the power of the magical word Yet. More lesson than story but still worth sharing. Didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to.
Hawk Rising written by Maria Gianferrari with illustrations by Brian Floca
For three summers in a row, Cooper hawks nested in the trees on our street and in our yard. I have been in love with crows ever since. This book is about red-tailed hawks and we are able to follow them throughout a day. Beautiful illustrations, powerful words. A gorgeous nonfiction title.
What’s Your Favorite Bug? by Eric Carle and Friends (out at the end of July)
I am a real fan of these What’s Your Favorite? series. In a classroom that reads lots of picture books, there is such joy in recognizing the style of a known and loved illustrators! This title is just as wonderful as the others in the series! I will want to purchase a hardcover copy this summer.
Wild Orca: The Oldest, Wisest Whale in the World written by Brenda Patterson and illustrated by Wendell Minor (out in September)
Thank you to Raincoast Books for sending me an ARC of this book. I shared it with my students who were completely enamoured. Especially as many children in my room have been lucky enough to spot orcas from ferries in our BC waters. The students loved that a community watches out for these whales and knows their calls and habits. Lots of learning about wonderful whales that inhabit our oceans.
The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley by April Stevens
I finished reading this on the bus yesterday on the way to a dance class and found myself quietly sobbing. Just a beautiful book about friendships, nature and the many ways to be alive. Incredible sibling relationship develops over the course of the book. An incredible friendship between young Frances and the more than eighty year old wise and wonderful school bus driver. A place in the rocks. Crow watching. Crisp, cold air. Figuring it all out. Loved this MG title.
Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
I wanted to love this YA novel. And I really liked aspects of it. But, it was just not for me. Multiple possible endings. And realities? Just too much.
Loser’s Bracket by Chris Crutcher
This book I really liked. Such an exploration of family. If you love YA realistic fiction that is real and true and gritty, I highly recommend this one! I was waking up before 6 a.m. to sneak in pages.
Up next? So excited to begin In Sight of Stars by Gae Polisner
Reading Progress updates:
2018 Chapter Book Challenge: 24/60 complete
2018 Transitional Chapter books: 8/40 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 111/300 books read
Progress on challenge: 32 books behind schedule
#MustReadin2018: 13/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 13/40 titles
Diverse Books in 2018: 18/40 books read
There's a Book for That 
I had Hawk Rising on my list, too. Just like in Coyote Moon, I love the way the author uses such dramatic narrative and descriptions to tell about these neighborhood animals.
Yes – these titles are really fantastic.
Thanks, Jana 🙂
Hawk Rising looks incredible! I recently read Coyote Moon and really liked that one, so will be looking for Hawk Rising. If I Had a Horse is one of my favorite PBs so far this year–it has stuck with me. Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley sounds like a possibility for an upcoming road trip listen–my son loves books with old people! I have checked out Jane Unlimited multiple times from the library and just can’t get myself to read it. Not sure what the disconnect is for me because it sounds cleverly done and I have loved Cashore’s other books.
I love books with old people too! This is a lovely one.
I hope you will like Hawk Rising, Elisabeth, and glad to know you enjoyed Coyote Moon 🙂
Thanks for sharing the new Patricia MacLachlan, sounds nice, Carrie. And I need to find Hawk Rising, know it will be great. We have hawks hanging around here in the city, too, looking for a meal, of course. I loved If I Had A Horse, a lovely dream of a book. Thanks for the class pics too. I always enjoy them.
You will love Hawk Rising!
:). I really love watching urban hawks in particular–so amazing!
I am going to check out A Bike Like Sergio’s for my son. He is 8 years old and still doesn’t understand the concept that not everyone can afford the things we have and why we can’t always afford the things he wants that his friends may have. I would hope that reading a book like this would make him see that people live all sorts of ways.
It’s a wonderful title.
This is the second time I’ve seen If I Had a Horse on posts today, I’m really excited to find a copy!!
It’s gorgeous and in the VPL system!
Excellent!! I’m off to place a hold!
Jane, Unlimited was just a little too much for me too, but now I know the types of readers to recommend it too since I definitely can see some teens loving it
I loved Cashore’s other books. But this one . . .
If I Had a Horse is breathtaking. I would love to read Hawk Rising, but the VPL doesn’t yet have it or Coyote Moon! It also doesn’t have The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley yet, but I am so far behind in my reading of the books I already have that this is probably a good thing.
It does Have Frances Pauley! Because I got it from VPL – check again! You will love this one.
Your shelves are beautiful as always. When I think of a positive classroom environment, I immediately think of you. I show pictures of your classroom to my Methods students every semester. ❤
That makes me so happy to hear – especially because you had that virtual tour! What a lovely compliment- thank you Ricki!
I really love how your entire classroom is designed in such a way that the books breathe and are alive! So many new-to-me picturebook titles here, will put them in my To-Find list on Goodreads, so I’d remember to be on the lookout for them when I visit our libraries. Have a great reading week!
Thanks Myra. We really are all about the books in our room!
Carrie–thank you so much for including Hawk Rising here :)! I also really loved If I Had a Horse–such stunning art, and so powerful a book.
I wish I had been lucky enough to have you as a teacher! Your students look so engaged, and your classroom is so inviting!
Happy summer to you!
Thank you so much Maria! A pleasure to feature your book! And thank you for the compliment about our classroom!