It’s Monday! What are you reading?

I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. This one captures a particularly sweet moment. One of my students and Miriam (who works with me) got to witness one of our little K buddies showcase her beginning reading skills. Wow, did she work hard to read this book aloud. It was precious 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.

Lots of interesting titles this week. My favourites included:

Wandering Whale Sharks by Susumu Shingu

Absolutely stunning illustrations. Lyrical text describing details of the largest fish in the ocean.

Wild Ideas: Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking written by Elin Kelsey and illustrated by Soyeon Kim

This book is magical. The illustrations have inspired an art project that my students are in the middle of . . . And the text suggests all kinds of connections between ours and the animal world. Prompted discussion about perseverance, creativity and inspiration.

Goodnight Already! written by Jory John and illustrated by Benji Davies

Lots of silly and full out charm. Both of these characters – bear and duck will amuse any little (or big) reader. The Kindergarten class brought this up to me with big recommendations! Their teacher had had to read it aloud multiple times.

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak

I took this out from the library and am thinking I need to bring it into my classroom to actually try it. I’ve heard great things about its read aloud effect.

I Know Here written by Laurel Croza and illustrated by Matt James

A beautiful book about place and home.

Little Humans by Brandon Stanton

Each of these children has personality leaping off the page.

Smelly Louie by Catherine Rayner

I have a real soft spot for Rayner’s loose lines and smudgy images. Louie loses his “smell” in a bath and goes in search of some deliciously stinky places to find it again.

Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai

I can already say with quite a bit of confidence that this will make my favourites of 2015 list. I adored the relationships in this story – between Mai and her grandmother, Mai and her family in Vietnam, many of the characters and their grief and cultural connections. A powerful story about the pull of home, the strength of family, the importance of culture and the complexities of personal and family histories. Highly recommended.

As a family, we also finished Doll Bones by Holly Black on audio. This was a second “read” for me and so enjoyable to listen to! Cheriee, if you are reading this, you can do it! We have faith.

Updates on my 2015 Reading Goals:

2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 19/80 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 157/415 books read

#MustReadin2015: 8/24 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 33/100 titles

Diverse Books in 2015: 17/50 books read

Up next? I am about to begin  Bone Gap by Laura Ruby