It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? --From Picture Books to YA--is a weekly meme hosted by Jen  at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  Visit Jen, Kellee, and Ricki to see more amazing books!

This week I was only able to get two chapter book read, but they were looong (and good!) chapter books!  I was able to get a professional book read and a good amount of picture books.  So all-in-all I would say it was a good reading week!

Professional Book:

Choice Words by Peter H. Johnston

This was a wonderful book. It really made me think about how I address and question students in the classroom. This will certainly be a book that I reference often!                  

 

 

Chapter Books:

Fable Haven #3 and #4 by Brandon Mull

I am a big fan of Brandon Mull.  This is one of my favorite series.  He is so good at plot twists and ending the books making you eager to read the next in this series.  I am looking forward to reading the 5th and final book in the series.

 

 

Picture Books (fiction):

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

I absolutely love how the story is told through letters from the crayons to the boy who owned them. Great for showing point of view.  After reading this with my son, I caught him using all the colors of his markers in a new set of his.  He said he wanted to be sure none of the colors quit! That Is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems The way the story is told reminds you of watching a silent film. This was a great book with a wonderful little twist that kids (and adults) will really enjoy. Crankee Doodle by Tom Angleberger This is a cute parody to Yankee Doodle that will leave you giggling! The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague A variation of the Three Little Pigs that is close to the original. I enjoyed some of the modern-day language that Mark Teague used. Picture Books (nonfiction):



Emi: Saving Her Rhino Species  by Leia Tait

This book is about Emi an endangered Sumatran Rhino who lives at the Cincinnati Zoo. The book tells the story of how Emi was captured in the wild (an orphan caught in a snare) and ended up at this zoo. She has had 3 babies and scientists are hoping to use this knowledge to help Sumatran Rhinos in the wild reproduce. I liked this book, especially for young readers, because of the simple text and the photographs. There are also questions posed in the book that help the reader make connections between themselves and Emi. Young readers will walk away from this book with a beginning understanding of the importance of Emi and the fight to save Sumatran Rhinos. And if they are like me, they will also want to take a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo to see Emi in person!

 

 

Pakistan by Ann Heinrichs

This is a good introductory book on Pakistan. The reader learns about the history of Pakistan as well as the current events. Many colorful pictures compliment the text.

 



 

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda by Alicia Potter

Beautiful story about how the first panda came to the United States. I had some conflicted feelings about how the panda was acquired so I appreciated reading the author's note at the end. I loved the illustrations in this book.                  

 

 

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel

	This is another wonderful picture book biography of an artist. I learned much about Henri Rousseau. It has a great theme of persistence and following your dream.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough

Another picture book biography. This tells the story of Annie Moore and her dedication to libraries creating spaces for children to read and check out books.

 

 

The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter

A heartwarming story about how war effects the common people. A librarian in Basra enlisted the help of friends and neighbors to save the books of the library so they would not be destroyed in the war.



 

An Illustrated Timeline of U.S. States by Patricia Wooster

I liked how different major events and interesting facts in American history were woven into the timeline with the forming of the states. I was a little disappointed that major events from the 20th century were missing such as both World Wars. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable book.

 

 This Week:

This week we will be going away for a few days so I know I won't get as much reading done as I would like.  But it will be well worth it to relax and spend some great time with my family!  I do hope to read the fifth and last book in the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull.  I also would like to finish a professional book I have started about assessments, Assessment in Perspective by Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan.

 

What did you read this week?