It's Monday - New Wonderful Books!

 Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

       Today I'm sharing some special new books. I imagine you might have read some, but also hope you'll find one you can't live without!

 

Thanks to Candlewick Press and Walker Books, US!

        It all begins with a young girl coming home after helping her doctor father with a  challenging birth, mention of the Journal of Anomalous Objects, otherwise known as 'oddities', an ice hook, and sadly, a murder. Those are the early pages of the heart-rending adventure of Clover Elkin, taking her into magical worlds, meeting historical figures, including a talking rooster and a witch named The Seamstress. It's an alternate nineteenth-century history whose background shows the United States at war with France and a failed Louisiana Purchase. Eli Brown does not leave a frightening detail unexplained from tiny blue threads giving life to a true friend for Clover, another girl with courage named Nessa. If you are a fantasy lover, this book will thrill you, make you cringe, and bring admiration for the heroine who bravely steps forward every time to do what is right. The book includes lovely woodcut-style illustrations by Karin Rytter

        Coming this March 30th!

          It's the delight I imagined, five children live in a 'ramble-shamble' house and do the necessary chores and other things they love like reading together just because that's what their life is like. There are Merra, Locky, Roozle, Finn, and Jory - taking care of their 'ramble-shamble' house until one day they read a book that changes the way they believe a "proper" house should be. Things change to "more proper" yet sometimes those things aren't quite right. A hen lays an egg in a shoe, disliking the new and "proper" henhouse. Lauren Castillo's illustrations make this intriguing story by Christina Soontornvat come alive just as you might imagine of those feelings of 'before' and 'after'. Someone else's expectations do not always have to change the way we love and live and thank goodness the children realize that. 

           I was so excited about this book that I pre-ordered and received a special print from the book, too. Here's a picture!

 

             

             Trees hold a special love for children which Corinna Luyken beautifully shares in this new book. Filled with images of a young child speaking of that love, Luyken fills the pages with magical scenes of spring, fall, weather, and animals, the "bird-squirrel-worm/and bee!" If you want to start a celebration with kids, your own or a class, this can be a treasure to help you begin.

         This is not only a "how-to" book but one where the "how-to" is shown from piece to piece with pairs choosing, then all the putting together, finally the quilting by more people for weeks until that final binding edge and done! The beauty of the book is seeing all the diverse people, all working together to create something beautiful, as Lizzy Rockwell writes, a "Peace by Piece" quilt. This is a true story, the quilt is real, created by the Norwalk Community Quilt Project in Norwalk, Connecticut. There is information about that group at the back, along with the names of varied quilt block patterns and descriptions of each piece of cloth chosen. What a wonderful story Lizzy Rockwell has brought to all of us!

           

         Aya Khalil writes this story of what a kind teacher can do to include those who are often teased as 'different' in a beautifully creative way. Young girl Kanzi has just moved to America from Egypt, is on her way to school, speaks both Arabic and English. Watercolor illustrations then edited by PhotoShop according to illustrator Anait Semirdzhyan center on the school, but there are some nice scenes at Kanzi's home, too. On her first day of school, she wishes her mother would have packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of a "kofta" sandwich. Readers can already tell she feels different and knows others will notice, too. She is teased because of some Arabic words, one girl says that we only speak English here in America, but her teacher knows it's not true, that "being bilingual is beautiful". Later, through a poem Kanzi writes about the quilt her teita (grandmother) has made for her, the teacher asks her to bring it in. Thus begins a wonderful idea that all the students will create their own quilt square with their names written in Arabic, helped by Kanzi's mother. It's a heart-warming idea from the teacher with an activity that shows inclusion much more than only words. Another class takes the idea and creates one in Japanese. There is a glossary of a few Arabic words and lovely bios of the author and illustrator.

What's Next: I've loved the "Endling" books by Katherine Applegate & managed to snag a copy of the final one!