Monday, November 4, 2013

Books of Friendship: Picture Book Month #IMWAYR Nov. 4, 2013


It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme began by Sheila at Book Journeys as a way to share what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and what is in store for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading. I first learned about it at Teach Mentor Texts. 

Day 4 theme: Friendship

Find out more about Picture Book Month here
Download the daily themed Picture Book Month Calendar. 

There is nothing like a good book about friendship to make you feel all warm and cuddly on the inside. Unintentionally, I read many books about friendship this week and the many forms friendships can take for better or worse. 

Friendship Picture Books I have read this week: 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loula is tired of the behavior of her three triplet brothers so she decides to pack her bags and head to Africa. Gilbert, her opera singer mother's chauffeur, is sympathetic when her parents don't seem to notice Loula's plight and since he knows the way to Africa, he offers to take her. The two travelers embark on an imagination filled and exciting journey.

Loula is such a sweet story and I was glad Gilbert was the type of grown up who understood the frustrated little girl and respected her decision to escape from her horrible brothers even if it were only for a day in Africa.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another beautifully created Daisy story. Poor Daisy become lost in the woods while chasing a squirrel and becomes frightened. In this nearly wordless picture book. There are so many emotions to consider and questions to ask while exploring the gorgeous watercolor illustrations. This is a perfect book to share during Picture Book Month in November. 

Stick!Stick! by Andy Pritchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Stick is too adorable not to read. Puppy loves his stick but needs a friend to play stick with him. He tries to engage animal after animal until he finally succeeds. Stick will make you smile. It's that cute.




My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A very funny tale of pirates, cowboys, body odor, and miscommunication. There were some pretty funny lines such as "His gang of rip-roarin' rustlers were nastier than week old chili, and twice as gassy." I think I would like the challenge of reading this aloud to my students but it would take a lot of practice to get the voices down just right. i bet it is exhausting as a read aloud. The illustrations were terrific with my favorite being the little boat with the big eyes and toothy frown carrying the pirate and a shark ashore. A shark as a passenger? That will get kid comments. In fact, it might be a struggle to get through a read aloud because all the kids will be wanting to start to talk like pirates and cowboys immediately creating chaos. Sounds like a fun time!

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A Splat the Cat easy reader. Kids love Splat which motivates them to read his stories, so I love Splat too.

Splat can't sing or play an instrument well but the Cat Gang want him to join their band and they need a special sound. In typical Splat behavior, through mishap after mishap, he discovers the perfect sound and joins the band.

Novels I read this week:

Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sweet and charming are two words to describe Waiting for the Magic. Anyone who has ever had a pet that truly touched their heart will tell you animals can talk in their own way. I enjoyed reading this simply satisfying story of love and healing.

Teen Book Festival by the Bay

I love to read YA FIction I am really looking forward to a meeting tonight. Literacy advocates from the Texas Coastal Bend are joining forces to plan and implement a Teen Book Festival by the Bay. We hope we can get several authors and publishers to join forces with us to help promote a love of reading to teens and young adults. The literacy levels in our communities are alarming and we are working together to help bring about a positive change. If you have any suggestions or ideas to help us plan or support our book festival, please leave me a comment in the comment section. Suggestions will be shared with our committees. 


The ListThe List by Siobhan Vivian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once a year a list is posted all over Mount Washington High listing the names of the prettiest and ugliest girl in each grade level. It is a school tradition that has taken place for decades yet the author of the list remains shrouded in mystery year after year. Jennifer, now a senior has made the list as ugliest for four years-a school record. Whether a girl is listed as ugliest or prettiest, her life is about to undergo a roller coaster of a week as everyone begins to treat them differently for better and worse. Who would create such an awful list?

The List is a good glimpse into high school life, although it portrays many stereotypes. Upon reflection though, high school is often filled with stereotypes just as the adult world is too. I would have liked the storyline to have offered a bit more closure but then life neglects to tie things up nicely so why should a realistic fiction story? The list is an entertaining book and I plan to read more of Siobhan Vivian's novels.

View all my reviews

...and here is how I looked for our Literature Parade this past week. Honk Honk!

Mother Goose



14 comments:

  1. Waiting for the Magic is also on our state's list (Virginia) and is such a sweet story. I just saw your comment on Myra's blog about wordless books, so I was glad to be reminded of Daisy Gets Lost. Thanks for these!

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    1. Isn't it fun to compare state award lists? The 2014-2015 Texas Bluebonnets were just announced.

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  2. Oh I love your look - what a perfect Mother Goose! I need to get my hands on Pirates vs Cowboys - can see it being a big hit in my class with all of my energetic little readers. We are Aaron Reynolds fans.

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    1. Thanks Carrie, Pirates can be a challenging read aloud with all all the voice choices. Have fun with it.

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  3. I adore Daisy Gets Lost and Stick!! I am one of the many...Librarians who love dog books! Great post.

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    1. I have several Dog themed poetry books that makes it easy to introduce poetry to kids. Adorable illustrations.

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  4. Love the costume! I wonder if The List would be appopriate for middle school?

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    1. The List is would be fine for middle school. It touches on the treatment and mistreatment of kids to each other. No drugs, violence, hints at making out but not explicit. No step by step description

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  5. Can't wait to read Daisy Gets Lost! :) Loved your costume...

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    1. Thanks, my lamp shade hat is my favorite part.

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  6. Julee, you make a perfect Mother Goose! Love the blue :)

    There are a few books here I wasn't familiar with and a few I am, one of which is STICK! I LOVE that book! It is perfectly illustrated, using only 6 words, all from the dog's perspective. It IS adorable :)

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    1. I really want Stick to add to my own collection.

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  7. Beautiful Mother Goose! What a lovely costume! Waiting for the Magic looks like a really beautiful book. Thanks for sharing all these lovelies today. Have a great reading week!

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    1. Thank you Myra. I really enjoyed this week of reading.

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