Monday Books Recap

  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.  

        Still: I'm nearly finished with my James Herriot book, savoring  the final pages. It's peaceful and full of good stories.  Next:  the new verse novel by Jeannine Atkins, Stone Mirrors. 
And: IntoThe Woods, Tana French, for my book group.
Plus: that new book Last Day On Mars, because Kellee keeps saying how good it is.

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       I think that I must celebrate illustrations in these books today. Each book is unique and joyful because of them.

           A family prepares to march. We see them rising early to dress for the day. They attend church to pray, they make signs with others, they, with many others like those who arrive in buses, begin to march. Step by step to make it to their dream. Full-color bold illustrations show the excitement of this important day. My favorite is a double-page spread of the leaders, with the crowd behind them carrying signs. If you want to introduce this special day to young children, this is the book to read.

 

        I am excited that Ciara Gavin has a new story about Bear and the ducks, “Bear Likes Jam.”  This time, bear struggles to have balance in his diet. According to the rules of Mama Duck, vegetables come “before” jam. You’ll love seeing how a cute trick made it happen, and Bear got to eat a jar or two of jam again. Endearing scenes created by Ciara return just as they did in her two previous books, “Room for Bear” and “Bear Is Not Tired”. I do love these books!

         

           If you’ve read other Pamela Zagarenski books like “The Whisper” and “What The Heart Knows: Chants, Charms and Blessings”, you know that this book is filled with magic, too. Henry has had his special stuffed lion Leo since he was two, and he knows Leo is more than a silent stuffy, but a true companion. His parents and sister continue to tell Henry that Leo can’t talk or be a real friend. This day they all go walking in the nearby woods, and the pictures show that magic too, because woodland animals are everywhere. Near dark and Henry tires so his father carries him home. Bedtime comes, and Leo is nowhere to be found. They promise to look in the morning.  Then the magic of the night appears on several wordless pages. You will love what happens, and that bear who plays one starring role-priceless! Leo makes it home, and everyone but Henry wonders how.  It’s a book for young ones who still carry their stuffed “friends” everywhere they can.

          In times gone by there were wonderful and faithful horses who pulled milk-wagons, and Tony is one of those. With spare text by Ed Galling, but just enough, Erin Stead shows the sweet story of Tony, the horse who pulls Tom’s wagon while he delivers the milk in the wee hours of the morning. The story told by someone who rises just to greet Tony each time is kind of an ode to these horses, with illustrations muted like that dusky light of pre-dawn. It’s a gorgeous book.

         The author and illustrator are new to me, and this book has been translated, but the story is a lesson. What if Stephen saw a beetle, raised a shoe to smash it, but changed his mind? Instead, he followed it into the garden, observing, then imagining it as a fierce dinosaur.  With mixed media illustrations, the pictures seem as interesting as the story. In chalk-like pages or cut-out drawings, one can follow Stephen’s brief and thoughtful journey with a beetle in his garden. Interesting conversations will arise from this book.

        "Twinkle, twinkle, small estrella,/how I wonder why you're bella." Recognize it? There is a glossary with translations and pronunciations at the beginning of the book to help. I suspect ESL children will love this, as will only English speakers just beginning to learn Spanish. It's the prettiest book, with the cutest children and animals filling up the pages while acting out the familiar nursery rhymes.

           Happy President's Day. If you're a teacher, hope you enjoy it if it's a vacation day for you, or if you're having a longer winter break.