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Monday, May 1, 2023

Recent Reads

Every Monday, I share books I have recently read. I also participate in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. To find out what other bloggers are reading, check out the host blogs, Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, or follow on Twitter at #imwayr. 

Recent Reads...


Farah Loves Mangos by Sarthak Sinha

Farah, who loves mangos, is distraught to find out her that her grandpa's tree is not producing fruit. She thinks hard and comes up with many creative ideas to try and get the mango tree to bear fruit, but nothing works. Although her grandfather is too busy to bother with the tree, he has found a way to help her appreciate it even without fruit. A fun book with lovely illustrations.

In Between by April Pulley Sayre with Jeff Sayre

A poem and photos celebrate in between moments as animals live and move in the world. A gorgeous book that provides a clever look at the natural world.

The Yellow Handkerchief by Donna Barba Higuera and illustrated by Cynthia Alonso

A girl feels ashamed of the way her abuela acts and talks and really dislikes the yellow handkerchief she wears. When her grandmother has to go away for a bit, the girl misses her terribly and begins to realize how special her abuela is. This is a heart-warming story about embracing differences and one's culture.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dragon by Lucille Colandro and illustrated by Jared Lee

The latest in The Old Lady series is as absurd as the previous books, but this one has a fun fairy tale twist at the end. Fans of the series will love this one.

Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey and illustrated by Mika Song

Henry is kid who likes routine, so when his teacher declares there will be a parade on Friday instead of the usual share time he feels great unease about it. Finally the end of the week arrives, and Henry finds a way to enjoy the parade and make a classmate happy. There are certainly kids who will be able to relate to Henry and his feelings about change. This beginning chapter book is the first in a series.

Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom by Nina Varela

Juniper has just moved to Florida from Dallas and she has been having strange dreams which she records with her art in a notebook. Without any friends, she keeps to herself, until she makes a wish and the girl from her dream, Princess Galatea, appears in her bedroom and together they work to save a vanishing kingdom. This is a magical adventure story, but also a sweet story about friendship and navigating first crushes. 

Adult Reading Recommendation


Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

This historical crime novel book takes place during the hot summer of 1974 in Boston when courts ruled that students would be bused to schools outside of their neighborhoods in order to desegregate them. It is intense, enraging, heart-wrenching, and thought-provoking book. The emotions and historical details are well captured. Hard to put down.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the children's books, Lisa, each one sounds like it's good for certain readers, maybe "all" readers! But I love reading your take on Small Mercies, have been eyeing that book! It really does seem good! Have a great week ahead!

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  2. Although I'm primarily a children's book reviewer, I absolutely love Dennis Lehane. I've just re-read MYSTIC RIVER and could do with some more. SMALL MERCIES sounds like just the thing!

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  3. Donna Barba Higuera is a fantastic writer. I'll have to check this one out.

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  4. I've heard that Dennis Lehane is quite a riveting read. Thank you for sharing all these new-to-me titles. Glad to have visited your blog!

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