It's Monday-Hurrah!

Happy Reading everyone!

“We read to know we are not alone.” 

 ^{- C.S. Lewis}

 It's Monday! What are you Reading? is hosted by Jen at TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS, and shared with Ricki and Kellee at UNLEASHING READERS.   

         And, also visit Sheila at BOOK JOURNEYS for more reviews.  Great books are being shared!

 Tweet! at #IMWAYR

       Last week was my spring break, and while I read a lot, not as much as expected. Great week, though! Here are my reviews.  

        This book meets two challenges, the #MustReadIn2014, & the CORL challenge at the Gathering Books blog.

Paperboy – written by Vince Vawter

               This is such a quiet book. It sneaks up on you. Word by word, paragraph by paragraph, you watch this young boy during the month of July, substituting as the paperboy for his friend, Art (or Rat, easier to say if you stutter). This boy is a stutterer, and we see inside his mind how much he arranges his life around it, except when he’s with certain ‘safe’ people, whom he knows will be patient and listen. It’s a lovely story showing some growing up of a very smart boy who many think is not smart because of the stutter. 



         We hear what he thinks about the behavior of certain people when he’s trying to talk to them. We hear life questions, of his trying to figure out certain people he meets on his paper route. And we feel the sweet relationship between him and Mam, the housekeeper who cares for him. The month is quite an adventure, and I don’t want to give more away other than it’s very good, and worth reading. If you’re a teacher or a parent, I wonder what you will think of the thoughts from this young boy. And I wonder if we ever know what kids are really thinking. This is the author’s first book, he says more memoir than fiction, and it was awarded a Newbery Honor for 2013.

 

I Am The Ocean, reviewed HERE!

Along with Silver People, reviewed HERE, more poetry!

Scoot! written and illustrated by Cathryn Falwell

         This is a delightful book, in rhyme, about a pond and all the wonderful creatures that live there, among them six silent turtles who do very little for most of the book, but sit idly on a log and watch everyone else.  Cathryn Falwell’s illustrations are gorgeous, filling her pages with almost 3-d images. She uses special ways to gain texture (like in the tree trunks) and explains how in the back of the book. The poetry comes naturally between pauses that look at those six turtles sitting still as stones. For example, “Wood ducks glide./Water striders slide./Salamanders dash./Tadpoles splash.” Very fun. This would be a good experience in rhyming for young readers and writers. There is more information about the animals in the backmatter, too.

          This book meets the challenge to find and read more books about or by Latino writers and illustrators, hosted by http://latinosinkidlit.com 

One Hundred Is A Family – written by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illus. by Benrei Huang

            This book could be used in many different ways, one of which is the celebration of Earth Day, because it ends with a hundred people all together taking care of the earth. It’s a counting book, in rhyme, including one through ten, then by tens to one hundred. Each page shows happy people from all cultures and ages doing things they love best, eating, telling stories, sledding, celebrating, etc. It’s a delightful book that will be good to read aloud to young children.

New Old Shoes – written by Charlotte Blessing, illus. by Gary R. Phillips

         In the back matter, this book connects to the Soles2Souls organization that aids people all over the world who need shoes. Many people in the world do not even have one pair of shoes, so it is good to find places who are working hard to find ways to send used shoes to them. This story follows a pair of what look like low-top Doc Martins through different owners, finally ending up as “hands” for a scarecrow protecting crops. It is told in the voice of the shoes, and we hear the pair being excited finally to be chosen, then to run and jump and play. More than one child is thrilled to wear this pair, until, finally worn out, it can do no more. The illustrations are beautifully done, showing children playing in numerous kinds of ways out of doors, kicking soccer balls, climbing trees, riding bicycles. It’s a story to help children think about needs of others in a positive way.

The Little Red Fish - written and illustrated by taeeun yoo

          I had the pleasure of reading this book, thanks to my wonderful book buddy who found it at one of the libraries she frequents (yes, more than one!). It has been published all over the world, and is such a whimsical story. Done in nearly all brown tones, except for the red fish & a couple of other things, a young boy is allowed to accompany his grandfather, a librarian, to the library for the first time. He brings his little red fish along, and is fascinated by all the books in each room. Well, some interesting things happen suddenly, and the fish disappears. The boy only sees that red tail zipping around a corner. You’ll need to find the book to see what happens. I enjoyed the imagination and the illustrations!

Peggy - written and illustrated by Anna Walker

             This is an imaginative book by a well-known picture book artist from Australia. The illustrations are in lovely watercolor, showing off Peggy, a chicken who’s been “blown” into quite an adventure, away from her loving home, all the way to the city. Lucky her, she is finally helped by some pigeons, and along the way, sees many things she’s never seen before, like a display window with multiple mirrors. Some of the pages have what seem like a photo contact page, and tell the story with actions and just a few words. It’s a very cute book with an endearing ‘chick’ adventure.

Next: Reading (finally) Amy Timberlake’s One Came Home, and still trying to find time to “listen” to an audiobook or two!  I finished Thrive, by Meenoo Rami but will be reviewing in about ten days for the blog tour. It’s terrific, get a copy!

More Poetry Love for April!! Find this post by Jama Rattigan, at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

         And, don't forget the Progressive Poem hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem! The list and links are on the sidebar.