It is Monday again and time to check in with other bloggers who participate in the
kidlit version of #IMWAYR. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee and Rickie from Unleashing Readers host this weekly event. Check out their links to find the list of participants and discover your next great read.
I keep hoping my life will return to normal some time soon, but I'm not holding my breath. I stayed late on Friday to do some cleaning up of the library. On Saturday my son, daughter in law, and I went to our old house to do more sorting and packing of stuff. I found time to do my Must Read in 2015 update last week in spite of searching through boxes for my missing public library books. I am distressed that I can not find those darn books, but I think it is teaching me to be more empathic when students' books go missing.
Thanksgiving is next weekend here in Canada so I read a couple of new to me picture books as I collected them for a display.
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| 5 stars |
Feeling Thankful by Shelley Rotner
This is a perfect book to read to our K/1/2 groupings. I love the photographs. It is the kind of book young children will connect to easily. And I won't have parents complaining that the story made their children refuse to eat turkey. (Like they do when they read Run Turkey, Run)
An Awesome Book of Thanks by Dallas Clayton
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| 4 stars |
When I started this one, I just fell head over heals in love with the illustrations. I began to imagine where teachers could take this in their classrooms. Then it kind of fell apart a bit. I like the rhyming text when it rhymes, but then it doesn't and the continuity is broken. It also seems to go on for a long time. I'm not sure how well this will work with K/1/2's, and if there will be anything left for them to think about being thankful for all on their own.
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
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| 5 stars |
I've never read an Oliver Jeffers book that wasn't brilliant, just like this one. It is a cumulative tale that provides lots of humour, predicting, and amazement. A boy's kite gets caught in a tree and everything he sends up afterwards is also stuck, including a fire engine. The ending is perfectly hilarious!
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| 5 stars |
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)
I read this one with a group of students as we were setting up the new book display. It was pure joy. This book is so much fun with lots to teach us about perspective and when to let things go.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
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| 3 stars |
I'm not quite sure how many stars to give this book. I was compelled to finish it, but the longer I listened, the more difficult I found it. The thing is, I didn't particularly care for Hannah Baker and I wasn't enamoured with Clay Jenson either. In their own way, they are both too victimish. (Can I make up this word?)
As I listened, I kept getting irritated. Then I had to stop and remind myself that this girl was seriously mentally ill, so of course her reasoning and actions don't make sense. But in spite of chiding myself, I couldn't truly embrace the story. Although intellectually I can appreciate that it is well written and that the idea of connecting events was clever, ultimately, it was too melodramatic for me.
As I listened, I kept getting irritated. Then I had to stop and remind myself that this girl was seriously mentally ill, so of course her reasoning and actions don't make sense. But in spite of chiding myself, I couldn't truly embrace the story. Although intellectually I can appreciate that it is well written and that the idea of connecting events was clever, ultimately, it was too melodramatic for me.
A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
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| 3 stars |
This is a fantastical tale of a young orphan girl, Cady, who ends up finding her family. I love the idea of people eventually finding their Talent: a magical gift of something they excel at. Cady's Talent is making cakes. (I appreciate the recipes in this book and might even try one or two) It is told from the point of view of numerous characters, and this was a bit challenging for me, but that might just be because I read it over a period of time instead of in one shot. What I liked most was the many different kinds of Talents characters had: spitting, shape shifting, knitting, and getting lost, are just a few.
Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai
I enjoyed listening to this book, but have to admit that it is a bit of a letdown after reading Inside Out and Back Again which I adored. I just expected more. Part of my problem is that I found Mai irritating. I'm wondering if it is my age, but I liked the Grandmother a whole lot more than the main protagonist. Thankfully, Mai does grow and change as the book progresses. What I appreciated most was learning about Vietnam, a country where many of our students spend summers visiting relatives. At least the death that needed to be dealt with in this one happened a long time ago.
Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai
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| 4 stars |
Currently I'm reading Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner. (I nearly stopped after the father died. Seriously, how many children's books were published last year that centered around the death of a character?)
I'm looking for a new book to listen to.
I'm looking for a new book to listen to.
Up Next I've got Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T Lamana and Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy by Susan Vaught waiting for me at the public library. (This is if they let me check out any more books until I return the ones I can not find)
I loved Listen, Slowly - was just in awe of the writing, but so many people did not love it. Maybe because I have not read Inside Out and Back Again. Circa Now was a favorite from a few summers ago. Because of the shopped photos, that might be a book you have to visually read instead of listen to? I read Thirteen Reasons Why years ago and I remember not loving it. Hope you find those missing books :)
ReplyDeleteI am reading Circa Now with my eyes, but I'm thankful for the heads up. I enjoyed Listen, Slowly. I just loved Inside Out and Back Again more.
DeleteListen Slowly was very interesting and much better that Inside Out and Back Again. Hated Thirteen Reasons Why-- books on this topic are really not helpful to any student. Not keen on Circa Now or Footer Davis, either. You need some happier books!
ReplyDeleteI sure do need some happier books! Thirteen Reasons is not a book I will recommend! I could very well be wrong, but it seemed almost like she committed suicide out of spite, and I don't think this is why mentally ill people do it.
DeleteListen Slowly is certainly on my list, but it won't be soon, although I really though Inside Out and Back Again was great for understanding of how people new in the US might be treated. I loved Stuck. You're right, Jeffers just finds good ways to entertain in his stories. I don't remember reading A Tangle of Knots although I've read the more recent books by Lisa Graff. There are so many that I've passed by! Hope you find your library books! And Thanks for sharing these.
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda. Lisa Graff isn't one of my favourite writers, although Lost in the Sun is on my to read list.
DeleteUpside Down in the Middle of Nowhere- have some tissues handy.
ReplyDeleteOMG not another one!
DeleteMissing library books.... so frustrating! I struggled with Thirteen Reasons Why too. I don't mind unlikeable characters, but I do mind boring characters, and I found all of the characters boring and the situations really uncompelling. But it's a book that continues to circulate in my lending library, and it was certainly one I couldn't keep on the shelves of my high school classroom library. I liked it more after I heard the author speak at a conference a number of years ago. I could at least appreciate what he was up to and why it has such teen appeal. Duck Rabbit and Stuck are two of my favorite PBs!
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear him speak because this book just doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless the author's purpose is to have individuals realize the power of one small action for good or bad.
DeleteWe just put up our Thanksgiving book display in the library - I really enjoy sharing books that aren't just a out the holiday, but which actually encourage kids to be reflective and aware of how fortunate we can be, all year round (not just when there's pumpkin pie!) :)
ReplyDeleteI agree Jane, although I do love pumpkin pie and turkey.
DeleteMe too :)
DeleteI like the idea of the Must Read in 2015 list. I often write down books I want to read, but then I end up with titles written all over the place. If I had a list to work through like yours maybe I'd actually get to more of the books I want to read.
ReplyDeleteLisa, you can join us next year! Check in with Carrie Gelson http://thereisabookforthat.com/ It does help me get to many books we have in our library that I might otherwise miss.
DeleteYay Oliver Jeffers! He's one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI want to read Lai's newest as all I hear are good things.
Happy reading this week! :-)
Thanks Kellee. Jeffers is just stunning! I think I like this one of Lai's more now that I've finished it since I find myself still contemplating it.
DeleteI read An Awesome Book of Thanks to my pre-service elementary school teachers when they leave each semester. I do think that it goes on for quite a while, but they seem to get sucked up in the illustrations. My son really enjoys this book. I think I like the creativity on each page. I find it to be quite inspiring. I was glad to read your candid review.
ReplyDeleteI can see how they could get pulled into the illustrations. It is a gorgeous book!
DeleteI really loved Listen, Slowly, but wonder if I would have enjoyed it as much with audio. Duck Rabbit is so fun. It's timeless and hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI did listen to it, and Lulu Lam's voice didn't quite ring true for me as a young girl's.
ReplyDeleteThat video of Oliver Jeffers wins the internets for me today! Just shared it in my FB page - would love to be read to every night by that voice. I haven't read Listen Slowly yet, but I have been reading mixed reviews about it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete