It's Monday-What Are You Reading? December 9, 2013

Please visit the amazing blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers who host this terrific meme each week.

I read a bunch of picture books and early readers this week. Most were read in an attempt to be a more informed voter for the 2013 Nerdies.  Click here to see the amazing list of contenders. 
Click on the book titles to learn more about the books. 

Picture Books
Fiction

Ribbit 
by Rodrigo Folguiera
Illustrated by Poly Bernatene
Cute book about a pig who thinks he's a frog, much to the dismay of the frog in the pond. 

Tea Party Rules

by Amy Dyckman

Illustrated by K. G. Campbell

A real bear just wants a few cookies, but gets more than he bargains for at this tea party when the little girl mistakes him for her teddy. 

Someday

by Alison McGhee

Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

A sweet story to share with new parents.  

Be warned, it's a real tear-jerker. I was crying in the stacks at the book store, not pretty. 

Picture Books 

Nonfiction

Frog Song

by Brenda Guiberson

Illustrated by Gennady Spirin

In this beautifully illustrated book, the reader will learn about the different sounds frogs make around the world.

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: the Story of Elizabeth Blackwell

by Tanya Lee Stone

Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

This book is a new favorite nonfiction picture book.  Great example of "girl power". 

Look Up: Bird-watching in Your Own Backyard

by Annette LeBlanc Cate

I know nothing about bird-watching so this book was perfect for me. The format is graphic novelish with lots of pictures and captions.  It is entertaining as well as informative. 

Early Chapter Books/Early Readers

Penny and Her Marble

by Kevin Henkes

This was my first Penny book and it was great.  I can see kids in grades 1-2 loving this series. In this book Penny struggles with her own conscience when she picks up a marble on the sidewalk and takes it home.

Ling and Ting: Nit Exactly the Same

by Grace Lin

I love Grace Lin as a middle grade/YZ author so I was excited about this book.  I really took to these two characters.  It is set up like a chapter book with few sentences in each chapter.  Again, great for grades 1-2. 

A Big Guy Took My Ball

by Mo Willems

I have an author crush on Mo Willems.  I love the Elephant and Piggie books.  This book explores big and small in the cutest way. 

I'm a Frog

by Mo Willems

Kids will be excited to play pretend after reading this Elephant and Piggie book.  

Bowling Alley Bandit

by Laurie Keller

Young kids will like it for its humor, pictures and silliness, but it was not for me.  

Middle Grade/YA

Counting by 7s

by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I'm not sure if I would categorize this book as middle grade or YA, but I loved it.  You will fall in love with Willow Chance.  A touching story of loss, love, family and courage. 

Currently Reading

Better Nate than Ever

by Tim Federle

I am only 2 chapters into this book, but I am enjoying it so far. 

The Energy to Teach

by Donald H. Graves

Donald Graves shed light on a big problem for many teachers, burnout and loss of energy.  Really liking it so far. 

Gigi McAllister teaches at Great Falls Elementary. In her 21 years as an educator, she has taught K-6 special education for 10 years, spent one year at grade 5 and is currently in her 10th year of teaching 4th grade. She is serves on the executive board of the MRA and on the planning committee for nErDcamp Northern New England (have you signed up yet?) You can visit her blog (The Late Bloomer's Book Blog) where she posts about books, reading and classroom practices here. You can also find her on Twitter and on her professional Facebook page. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? November 25

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. 

What I've finished since my last post:

MG/YA:

Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner

I have been a fan of Kate's since her first book, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. Unfortunately I've fallen a little behind in reading her books, lately, but I'll get caught up! I love Kate's writing. Her characters are real, her story lines are fun, and I can always confidently recommend her books to anyone! 

Adult:

Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez

I've been working on this one for a while, and gushing about it when ever I have the chance. Even if you are not as huge a fan of Martin Sheen as I am, this is such a beautiful book. The story of their respective journeys in the entertainment industry is fascinating, but their reflections on their choices and their relationship as fathers and sons are amazing. I highly recommend the audio- Martin and Emilio narrate.

What I'm currently reading:
I have several books in process right now and some I may end up abandoning until a future date when I can pick them up again. This is completely due to the constraints on my time and the limits on number of renews at the library and absolutely nothing to do with the books themselves.

YA:

The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida

Adult:

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

I started with the print book and have switched to the audio because of library due dates. I love the audio because it is read by the author. 

Professional:

Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, Christopher Lehman

Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller

Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess

Curriculum Re-reads:

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston

My juniors will start this book this week. We just finished Arthur Miller's The Crucible and will tie that and Farewell to Manzanar together with a discussion of the American Dream.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I will start this with my freshmen and sophomores after the Thanksgiving break. We are just now wrapping up Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, which we have be reading through the lens of relationships. Among other themes in A Tale of Two Cities, we will be looking at our responsibility to our fellow man. 

Natalee Stotz is Head of High School at Windham Christian Academy in Windham, Maine. There she teaches English for grades 9-12 as well as Civics. She also advises the preK-12 school on curriculum, professional development, and literacy. Her passion is for connecting readers with books, and her goal is to create life-long readers. You can follow her on Twitter, @nataleestotz, or read her blog at nataleestotz.blogspot.com