Monday Reading - Worries and A Celebration

          Visit Jen at Teach MentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who link up. I'm still in the midst of reading for the Cybils poetry, round one. I reviewed a few this week, and some picture books. My favorite PBs are below.

            For Poetry Friday, I reviewed Somos como los nubes/We Are The Clouds by Jorge Argueta, a book of poetry about children immigrating, often alone, to get to the U.S.  

         Bear is lonely, sees all the other forest animals having fun together, but they avoid him. "He's so big. His teeth are sharp." At last, when chills come, bear decides to throw a winter party. He sends out invitations, and on that day he lights a fire, bakes tasty treats, even brews some spiced cranberry tea. That morning, a few snowflakes fall, and Bear is worried. No one has come so far. But then he sees a few peeking around some trees and invites them in. It turns out that getting to know someone who seems different is a very good thing. The party is a success, and the story will be wonderful to use for young children who are a bit reluctant to make friends with "different" people. The illustrations are color-filled and bigger than life, sort of like the bear, at least to his forest friends.

        There's big magic in the first snow, and Bami Park's debut picture book shows that magic beautifully. With few words, a little girl wakes up to see the snow, and joins the out of doors to create magic herself. Lovely to read, will be one to keep on hand for your own "first snow"! Young children will love this one.

       First published in Great Britain, and now here in the U.S., a great book about friendship and learning that someone who looks a little different can bring new things to your life that you never knew existed! Bertie lived a life of the same thing, eating, drinking, snoozing. But one day he woke late, and everyone was gone. He didn't know what to do until he looked around and there was Blue! Blue showed Bertie a whole new world, and you'll need to find this book to see the enticing illustrations of this forest world where they lived. It's a bright and beautiful world that Blue knows, parts of which Bertie had never noticed. Great ending! 

         Young Ella loves the color yellow, and the sun! What she doesn't like is night and the dark. Early evening finds her walking through the house turning on lights. Her thoughtful mother leads her gently into a beautiful summer night, to greet that moon and see the glowing fireflies, enjoy the crickets singing. Soon Ella realizes that while it's not a sunny day, there can be good things when the moon is inside! My favorite line: "It's my favorite color, only quieter." For those who might be fearful of the dark, this will be a wonderful book to read and discuss. The illustrations are nicely realistic in all the story, and the details in the dark are terrific.


Nothing has changed since last week!  Still reading:  I'm enjoying learning about the life of techie Paul  English in A Truck Full of Money by Tracy Kidder. Among other things, he was the creator of the website, Kayak. I have The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan and hope to get to it soon!