#IMWAYR February 16, 2015

For a reason to love Mondays, check out #IMWAYR, and visit hosts Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to discover what other readers are blogging about!

I've managed to read a number of fabulous picture books this week, finished up a chapter book or two, read some nonfiction and found time for poetry. So all in all, it's been a very fine reading week. 

4 stars

Katie Woo: Keep Dancing Katie by Fran Manushkin & Tammie Lyon (illustrator)

I like this series for young readers for many reasons. This particular title is a sweet story of a girl learning to accept and appreciate others. The multicultural characters are real, just like the kinds of children I see everyday at my school.

4 stars

The Magician of Auschwitz by Kathy Kacer & Gillian Newland (illustrator) (book club book)

This is one of our book club books. It has impressed students who have read it. It is a true story of two men who survived the horror of Auschwitz. Against that backdrop of evil, they connected and gave what they could to each other. Herr Levin, a magician, is kept alive because he is able to entertain the German guards and officials with his magic tricks. He passes some of his knowledge on to Werner. More important than the gift of magic, Levin and Werner give each other the gifts of friendship and hope.

4 stars

There's Going to Be a Baby by John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury (illustrator)

Oh so charming. Young readers will enjoy this book. It begins with a mother telling her young child that there is going to be a baby. What ensues is the child asking questions and imagining hilarious situations wherein the baby attempts to do things like cook and paint (with disastrous results). As the baby grows in the mother, we see the older child move from being anxious into joyful anticipation. Burmingham and Oxenbury have created a sweet book that I wish was around to read way back when I was the mother of small children. It would have been perfect to read to my older son when he was waiting for the new baby to arrive.

5 stars

Wild Berries by Julie Flett

These images are stunning. I love the use of red midst the otherwise neutral background. It's a simple tale of a young boy going wild blueberry picking with his grandma. The integration of Cree words in the text makes the experience feel magical: a connection to another time and place. The whole book reminded me of my own experiences as a child, heading off with my family into the wild to pick berries. Like Grandma, we also made sure to "check for bears maskwak."

4 stars

The Troublemaker by Lauren Castillo

Everything Carrie Gelson wrote about this book last week is right on the money. I love the illustrations. It's a charming tale of a little boy who takes his little sister's stuffed rabbit and gets in trouble for it. When it goes missing again, he is thought to be the culprit, but then his stuffed raccoon, his boat, pirate and the rabbit all disappear. You will have to read the book to find out who the real thief is.

3 stars

Lily the Unicorn by Dallas Clayton

This is the sort of book and will probably appeal to fans of Richard Scarry's books. There is A LOT going on in the pages. It is the story of Lily, an extremely active unicorn who meets up with Roger, an extremely reserved Penguin. Lily manages to win Roger over. I had a couple of problems with this book. 1. it was too busy for me and 2. Lily is so much bigger than life and doesn't seem to really let Roger be who he is. I wish they could have met in the middle.

4 stars

Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani, Elena Gomez (illustrator)

This is another oh so beautiful book. A young girl is hanging out with her mother as she gets dressed in a sari for a special occasion: the girl's birthday. As they go through the collection of saris, they reminisce about the events associated with each one. Like most young girls, the child wants to be grown up like her mother. This book would pair up beautifully with Deep in the Sahara, a tale about a young girl who wants to wear the malafa. Both are visually stunning books.

3.5 stars

Nanny X by Madelyn Rosenberg

Imagine that your nanny is a secret agent. This is the premise for this chapter book. I enjoyed it and think many of my readers will also. It's got humour, adventure, and looks to be the first of a series. 

3.5 stars

Life Lines: the Lanier Phillips Story by Christine Welldon

This book worked for me on some levels, but at times the writing got in the way and interrupted what might otherwise be a fabulous read. It's still worth the time you put into it though. 

5 stars

How I Discovered Poetry by Marilyn Nelson, Hadley Hooper (Illustrations)
If you haven't read this book, you really should go out and find a copy. I got mine from the library, but intend to purchase my own so that I can reread these poems whenever I feel like it. 

Currently I am listening to Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen. I am finally enjoying it, but to be honest, I nearly abandoned it in the beginning because there is so much brutality and violence. Instead I skipped over chunks of it. I'm sad that I feel this way about a series that I was really excited about initially. It's just that it's been impossible for me not to compare it to Stroud's Lockwood and Co, a suspenseful, action filled, riveting tale without all the nastiness. I'm still working on How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg. I have no idea what novel I'll be picking up next. There are so very many of them in my pile....