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Monday, November 27, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?



It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading.  For more information and to find out what other bloggers are reading check out the host blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.

What I've Read This Week...


Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart

On my way home from the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English last weekend, the airport shuttle dropped me off three hours before my flight was to depart. To kill time, I popped into a restaurant in the airport and was delighted to be seated at a table next to author Melissa Stewart. We chatted about our experiences at NCTE, authors, books, and writing and she graciously gave me a copy of her latest book. Thanks to Melissa, my three hour wait definitely flew by! Written in a question-and-answer format, Can an Aardvark Bark?, gives interesting facts about the sounds of various animals. The end encourages readers to think about the sounds they make. I can hear my students making animal sounds as they read this book. Steve Jenkins illustrations of the animals are wonderful, too. Melissa Stewart has a website with many resources including minilessons for writing informational text. Visit her website here.

Love by Matt de la Pena

While at NCTE, I attended a breakfast hosted by Penguin Random House. At the breakfast, attendees were given a bag of a few books selected by the publisher, one of which was this one. Since this book has been on my radar, it was a treat and a surprise to get a copy. The book is poetic and beautiful. The message is simple, but powerful. The illustrations, which show the journey through life, are diverse and gorgeous. This is a book you'll want to read again and again and one that you'll want to give to others.

Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies by Jonathan Rosen

Devin has a new neighbor and he and his cousin Tommy think he's a warlock. The neighbor gives Devin's sister a Cuddle Bunny, a popular toy, and it comes to life. When Devin tries to explain what is going on nobody believes him. In fact, they start to think he needs some counseling. It's up to Devin and his cousin to save their town from Cuddle Bunnies. This book is fast-paced and hilarious. It's also both evil and heart-warming. I think middle grade readers will be amused. Thanks to Wendy McLeod MacKnight, author of It's a Mystery, Pig Face!, for sending me a copy.

A Book to Look for in 2018


The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd

This book has a winning combination - a quirky family, seven siblings each born on a different day of the week, an evil villainess, and some fun and magic. The Problim Children have returned to House Number Seven in Lost Cove just before it was to be auctioned off. The house is rightfully theirs, but they must prove it. Their neighbor, Desdemona O'pinion, wants the Problim Children out of the house because she believes there is a treasure in there that belongs to her family. The Problim Children must put their charm, determination, and sense of adventure to work to keep what is theirs. This is a fun start to a series that has family at its heart.

21 comments:

  1. The Problim Children sounds like a lot of fun. I will definitely look for Love.

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  2. I just read about 'Love', so certainly will find it when it comes out. What fun to get all those books at NCTE! The Problim Children does sound like a fun read. Thanks, Lisa!

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    1. Bringing home a bag full of books is a great perk of NCTE!

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  3. This is the second post about Love so far this week. I really want to read it!

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  4. What a great way to spend a delay - chatting with Melissa Stewart. Don't you just love NCTE? Love is going on our TBR list.

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    1. I do love NCTE. I'm hoping I can go next year, but it's going to be a little trickier since the trip to Houston will be a bit longer.

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  5. My oldest daughter (age 4) loves Steve Jenkins, but we haven't seen Can an Aardvark Bark? yet. Thanks for your comments about the text - sounds well-written and I love that it has a Q&A format.

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    1. I think Can an Aardvark Bark? will be a great read for your daughter.

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  6. I’m itching to get my hands on Matt de la Peña’s new book! I’m bummed I missed snagging a copy at NCTE.

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  7. I discovered Can An Aardvark Bark over the summer. Love adding nonfiction picture books to my library and students love it as a read aloud. I am loving the Problim Children right now and hope to finish by the weekend. Love how unique each sibling is, but also how they work together as a family!

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  8. Can An Aardvark Bark is awesome. I love how the author organized the animals by the sounds that they make! I’ll definitely need to check out the other books on your list. Have a great week!

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    1. I like that it's little snippets of text. It makes it very readable for kids who get lost in a lot of text.

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  9. I, too, would love to read Matt de la Peña’s new book - it looks like a keeper.

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  10. Isn’t LOVE beautiful?! I loved it so much!
    And it is so great that you chatted with Melissa Stewart—what a great way to spend the time!

    Happy reading this week :-)

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  11. I really want to read Love! I was so happy to see it on your blog!

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  12. Didn't Natalie come up with the best names in Problim?
    I read Love while in the Penguin booth but it's one that needs time to just pour over!

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