It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/10/14

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

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 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I have decided that since I am having trouble reading for a long period of time, I decided to boost up my reading confidence by reading a bunch of really phenomenal picture books: Flying Solo by Julie Cummins, Plastic, Ahoy! by Patricia Newman, The Tree Lady by Joseph H. Hopkins, Marvin Makes Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Who Says Woman Can’t Be Doctors? by Kathleen Krull, Little Red Writing by Joan Holub, Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon, Weeds Find a Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliot, Parrots over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth, Nelson Madela by Kadir Nelson, and Locomotive by Brian Floca. All really, really, really good books! I did read more of Far Far Away by Tom McNeal and am getting into it, but it is still going slowly. I’ll finish soon though!!

Ricki: This week, I read Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education by Nel Noddings. I have always heard of Nel Noddings (a major educational theorist), so I wanted to try reading one of her books. It definitely made me look at caring in a different way. She helps the reader interpret different situations. For example, if I set out bird feeders, it means I care about the birds. But if my neighbor declaws her cat, does she care more? (I simplified this idea a bit from her text, but I wanted to give viewers a taste of the book without making this post too long!) I also read a wonderful nonfiction picture book to my son called Weeds Find a Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliot. It made me look at weeds in a different way. I am sorry for swearing at you, crabgrass between my bricks! 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I still have lots of picture books to read and I cannot wait! I’ll also keep reading Far Far Away and hope to get even further into it (maybe even finish it!). I am just happy to have reading in my routine again even if it is just in small spurts. [We’ll see how long that lasts, though. I am due in 11 days!!! AH!!!]

Ricki: This week, I definitely plan to finish The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. My schoolwork has gotten a bit in the way. I only read it during my baby’s night feedings, which are getting shorter and less frequent. Horray! I am also starting Cultural Literacy: What Every America Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch. It is another professional development/theory book that will (hopefully) give me another perspective on teaching!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

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 So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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21 thoughts on “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/10/14”

  1. Great picture books, Kellee! And, someone has recommended Cultural Literacy: What Every America Needs to Know to me before. I can’t wait to read your thoughts on Hearts since I didn’t like it.

    Reply
  2. Best wishes, Kellee! Maybe on Valentine’s Day! Not wishing for early; it’s just such an awesome holiday! I love Herman and Rosie-hope you did too! And Ricki, I’ll look for Weeds-what fun! Thanks & have a great week!

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  3. 11 days! Wow! I just started Far Far Away and LOVE the voice and style. You read some great picture books – lots of great nonfiction titles. Ricki – I’m planning to start Impossible Knife . . . next. Glad you are getting some more sleep!

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    • The voice and style of Far Far Away is amazingly brilliant. I am so glad that I am getting more and more into it (even if it is in small chunks). Glad to hear you are enjoying it as well.
      And yes, I stocked up on some NF and found some great ones!

      Reply
  4. Hooray for picture books! 🙂 Kellee, enjoy these last days, thinking of you! 🙂 Curious about Plastic, Ahoy! Weeds find a way- third time I’ve read about it this week, now that’s catching my attention, thanks Ricki… 🙂 Caring- that’ll be a book to read in the future, interesting approach.

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    • Thank you Debbie! I am trying to enjoy 🙂
      Plastics, Ahoy is fascinating–cannot wait to share it with you.
      Weeds Find a Way (I read it last night) is great as well. Both fascinating NF PBs.

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    • The illustrations in WEEDS were stunning. I just asked them for permission to share a spread on our blog post because they are so beautiful.

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  5. I’m having a hard time reading for sustained periods right now as well. It probably has something to do with the fact that I’m taking an American lit class that is comprising all my reading time. By the time I finish my assigned reading, I don’t want to do my own pleasure reading. I don’t even want to listen to my audiobook, which is freaking me out because it’s actually really good. I am in a definite reading funk. But it has nothing to do with the books I’ve chosen on my own and everything to do with burnout from what I’m being assigned. A good lesson and reminder for us as teachers, no?

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    • Always a great lesson! I think back to my lit degree when I read NOTHING for fun, because my brain just couldn’t take it. If I wasn’t working on school reading, I wanted to veg. I completely understand.
      Good luck in your class!

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    • YES. I am reading these PD books for my independent study, and my pleasure reading is going by the wayside. You are absolutely right that it is a good reminder for us as teachers.

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  6. I remember the Cultural Literacy book! We love to share classic books and movies with our two sons (now older teens) so that they have some of that cultural literacy. Amazingly, one of my 16-year old’s teachers recently showed Star Wars in class (they were discussing literary archtypes), and my son said about half of the class HAD NEVER SEEN STAR WARS. I find that alarming. lol

    I really want to read The Impossible Knife of Memory – I;m not sure I;ve ever read a LHA novel before but my young cousins love them, and I have heard such great things about her and about this book in particular.

    Congratulations on less night-time wakings and feedings, Ricki! I found the first 3 months very difficult because of the sleep deprivation…after that it gets much easier and a lot of fun!

    Sue


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    Reply
    • Thanks, Sue! He is 11 weeks tomorrow, so we are getting there!

      I am finding CULTURAL LITERACY to be fascinating. I may just have to do a blog post on it. I was continually amazed at some of the cultural references I made in class that my students didn’t know.

      I highly recommend a LHA book. I have read them all, and they are incredible. 🙂

      Reply

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