It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/24/14

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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

top ten tuesday plastic Balance ling

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On Our Spring TBR Lists

**Click on any picture to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I was able to finish Robyn Schneider’s novel The Beginning of Everything this week (YAY!!). I had started it before Trent was born, but hadn’t been able to find time or brain power to truly read until this last week when I made sure to fit reading into my schedule. I think that my brain NEEDS reading or I really start to feel like I am dragging. After finishing, The Beginning of Everything, I started Bruised by Sarah Skilton. It is quite an interesting read so far. The verdict is still out if I like it or not.

On top of the novels, I also continued by picture book #bookaday with Trent. This week we read:

  • Baby Loves to Rock by Wednesday Kirwan
  • Rockin’ Babies by Jenn Berman
  • Rocker Babies Wear Jeans by Michelle Sinclair Colman
    • (Like I promised, I read some rocker books that were given to me by my friend Jill this week. I really liked them all. They are obviously written to be funny for the parents reading them as well as for the kids. I think I liked Baby Loves to Rock the best.)
  • Hello Baby! by Mem Fox (This book was so kindly given to me by my friend JoEllen. I’m so glad this is the book she decided to share with Trent. Neither he or I had read any Mem Fox before, and I was so happy to finally get to read one of her books. This one is illustrated by Steve Jenkins and I really enjoy his artwork. Overall, exactly as wonderful as everyone says.)
  • David Smells! by David Shannon (My friend Cristen and her daughter Lucinda love David books, and I am so glad that she shared him with me. I like that this book taught a bit of a lesson, but also was quite entertaining.)
  • The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (Like Ricki, this book was longer than I remembered and Trent actually didn’t make it through. It is such a classic, and I can see why. Great rhyme, rhythm, story, and theme.)
  • I Love You Because You’re You by Liza Baker (SO SWEET! I love reading books like this to Trent.)

Ricki: I had a great reading week! I finished Threatened by Eliot Schrefer. It was fantastic. I will be reviewing it this Thursday! I also read several great children’s books. I loved Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox. It was so good that I plan to order it to have in Henry’s library. I want to read it over and over again! I also read Mem Fox’s Where the Giant Sleeps. I thought the story was okay, but I really loved the illustrations the most. They are beautiful. Last week, I discovered Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama series, as well. I am not a children’s book expert, but I am learning! (I know much, much more about YAL as a field.) I read Llama Llama Misses Mama, and my husband read Llama Llama Red Pajama. I enjoyed the humor of Alan Sitomer’s Daddies Do It Different Sunday night, and closed the night off with Sandra Boynton’s Snuggle Puppy. Thank you all for your recommendations. Henry and I are having a great time with these books and authors you are recommending!
(Kellee: I LOVE seeing you discover great picture books Ricki! Llama Llama is one of my favorite series and I, too, discovered Mem Fox this week. I love that we are on this adventure together!)

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I plan on finished Bruised and start Wild Awake by Hilary Smith. As for our picture books, I am not sure what we are going to explore this week. It’ll depend on what I am feeling like each day although I do have a pile of picture books from Candlewick that are taunting me!

Ricki: I am still reading Life in Schools by Peter McLaren. I will tell more about this when I have read more than 50 pages. 🙂 I am also still reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis to Henry. I can’t decide which YAL book is next, but like most of you (I am sure), I have a few galleys that are calling my name…

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday tree threatened fangirl

Top Ten Tuesday: Our Bookish Bucket List

 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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19 thoughts on “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/24/14”

  1. Oh my goodness Kellee, you have so many gorgeous books by Mem Fox to explore! Great one to start with… 🙂 Ricki- YEAH- I agree, Threatened was FANTASTIC! Ricki- I have most of the Llama Llama books memorized, loved rereading them with my kiddo… 🙂

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      • Yes, I was amazed that I grew it… pretty special experience around 5 years ago. Started growing it from a 1/4 inch start. 🙂

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        • Aren’t they beautiful?!
          We have a family one that I have become the guardian of now that everyone else has moved out of Florida. I am just in awe of this plant–wait until it starts blooming multiple ones each night and then over multiple nights.
          I have a friend who had one, and she told me that she used to have Queen of the Night parties to watch the orchid cactus bloom. Doesn’t that sound fun?!

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    • The Llama Llama books are just so fun to read! The words just roll off the tongue. I could read them over and over again! Have a great week!

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  2. I have Threatened, but don’t know when I’ll get to it-know it will be terrific. Will look for Bruised, Kellee-don’t know that title! Love hearing about all the ‘younger’ books-so special. Another favorite Mem Fox is Time for Bed. Thanks for all & have a great week!

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    • I’ll let you know how Bruised is Linda 🙂 And Threatened is AMAZING, you’ll love it when you fit it in.
      I cannot believe I’d never read any Mem Fox until now. Thank you for giving me another title.

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    • Hi, Linda!
      I didn’t see Time for Bed in our library, but I will look more carefully when I return this set of books. Thank you for this recommendation!
      Ricki

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  3. I am so happy that you both discovered Mem Fox. Then again I think you probably couldn’t help it as I have been very persistent in the comment section to keep reminding you about her! Sleepy Bears and Koala Lou also lovely, lovely titles.

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    • Carrie, I wrote down on my library list–“Carrie says Mem Fox.” I was delighted by how many books my library had. We will definitely be checking out a few others. Thank you for this recommendation!

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  4. So glad that you are both enjoying your babies so much…and reading, too! My two boys (and my husband and I!) LOVED the Sandra Boynton board books when they were little – Barnyard Dance; Moo, Baa, La La La; The Going to Bed Book – all classics at our house. And we have the most adorable home video of our then 4-yr old “reading” 1-2-3 to his baby brother from memory. Great books – have fun and enjoy your books this week!

    Sue


    Great Books for Kids and Teens is now on Facebook!

    Great Books for Kids and
    Teens

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    • My imagined image of that video is delightful. I enjoyed the Sandra Boynton book very much. I am going to look for The Going to Bed Book. I remember enjoying that one! Thanks, Sue!

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  5. Hi Kellee and Ricki, I have also just learned of Mem Fox and enjoying most of her picturebooks. Perfect for young hearts and young minds indeed. 🙂 Tree Lady is beautiful. 🙂

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  6. It’s fun that you all are hitting the picture books. I am excited to get to Threatened sometime in the near future. It sounds like a winner. Have you all seen the board books Little You and Global Babies? They didn’t exist when my children were little, but they look like they would be great with young ones.

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