It's Monday - Great Books to Share

Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with others who post their favorites. Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!

       I was lucky to get this book just out in August here in the US, will be sure to purchase it for my ten-year-old granddaughter. Onjali Q. Rauf manages to give her storyteller a true voice of an "almost" ten-year-old, sharing her life outside and inside school. She has friends and those she does not like, especially the bullies (teachers included). She takes care of herself but keeps her questions ready to ask her librarian mother, one she counts on to not say, "Wait 'till you're older." The questions keep coming when a new boy arrives and sits in the chair "at the back of the class". With her friends, she decides that having one more to the group would be great, thus begins the journey to learn about Ahmet who turns out to become a Syrian refugee, who plays soccer really well, but whose parents are missing. That journey turns into a quest where adventures await to help them re-unite, a quest that turns into something the kids never thought would happen. This girl stays strong to her values, wanting to be a 'best' friend who stays and helps, who believes "It would be too boring if everyone was exactly the same as each other." There are a few sketches sprinkled throughout that add to the story, a wonderful one to be read aloud and discussed in the classroom.
      Special quote: "And whenever we did it together, our whispers made us sound like an ocean."

          The boundless love of a pet holds NO boundaries. As Truman, a tiny tortoise realizes that his dear Sarah has been gone so, so very long, he sets out to find her. A surprise awaits, but it doesn't take away the journey he accomplishes. Jean Reidy's story makes a smile all the way through as I rooted for Truman's success. Lucy Ruth Cummins' illustrations beautifully show the tortoise view of things, more smiles for this sweet and charming story.

             It's a ride (and a book) NOT to be missed, like life, when we all work together, everything works better, shown in this story by Richard T. Morris. I can't imagine not loving this book, and the joyous illustrations by LeUyen Pham. (I thought I had read this one, must have mixed it up with another bear book, but now I'm so happy that I have it!)

         20,000 years ago, the Laurentide ice sheet covering this island was melting, making way for the Lenape and other Native American tribes to inhabit the island. The Lenape names it Mannahatta! 
         Thus begins this incredibly wonderful and pictorial history of Manhattan told bit by bit from the early Dutch history, through their giving over to the British, then fought for and taken by Americans in the Revolutionary War. That settled the ownership, but Jennifer Thermes gives us readers so much more.  
        A map with a key spreads out on the endpapers, adding to the history with locations, dates of buildings built, and explanations, like why the East River is not really a river. Most double-page spreads follow the history in brief paragraphs, illustrated with both large paintings and small extra facts added in various ways like along the lower part of the pages or in split parts. Jennifer tells about the decision of the grid layout and the result of many losing their homes and farmers and Native Americans forced to sell their land. Special pages are there telling about Central Park, problems with a growing city, and the influx of immigrants on their way to America, but first Ellis Island. Toward the end, special times are highlighted like the snowstorm of 1888, leading to the decision to create the subway system and the terrible time of Hurricane Sandy. There are double spreads for the bridges and for the skyscrapers. 
       Diverse peoples are there from early history to today, all created in watercolor, pencil, and ink. The numerous and beautiful maps show original spellings from the research of the original maps. It was intriguing to do comparisons from the early ones to most recent.
        Thermes, author of Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian and Charles Darwin's Around The World Adventure, adds an extensive timeline, source list, website list, museum suggestions and a Just for Fun to-do list. Wow! It is a fascinating book that can give a push for different topics of research, all centered on Manhattan!

        From the author/illustrator of They All Saw A Cat comes another book about perspective. This time the perspective is about who uses it, and also time changing its environment. With gorgeous mixed-media illustrations, we see the stone "as it was/where it was in the world" that snail crawling up its side, bright in the moonlight with owl eyes staring, dark with a chipmunk nibbling a nut. Through seasons, the stone is covered with crimson leaves, shows blue in snow, a pebble as a moose steps over, but a hill to climb to an insect. There is much more to see! It's one to read and look, one to love.

        
          Boys can be anything that makes them unique, not just what others believe they should be, like being good in sports, tough and strong. They can follow their own dreams, shown poignantly in this picture book by Frank Murphy who writes a wonderful author's note at the back about the inspiration for this book, teaching and parenting boys through the years, wanting them to find their own stories and respect those of others, too. Joyous illustrations by Kayla Harren shows one particular boy (with other boys and girls) having fun together in a variety of ways, helping take care of the environment, visiting older persons, asking for help to be brave, sometimes crying when it hurts! It's a wonderful book to share with all ages.

Still reading: The Overstory by Richard Powers, and beginning the graphic novel of The Handmaid's Tale.