Kellee – Page 233 – Unleashing Readers

Two Must Have Early Chapter Books: The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale and Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo

February 27, 2015 by Kellee

The Princess in Black
Authors: Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Published October 14th, 2014 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: Who says princesses don’t wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!

Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret —she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I am a sucker for girl power books. So much, I was part of writing three Nerdy Book Club Girl Power posts (here, here, and here). Princess in Black fits right in this these books. Although Princess Magnolia must live up to society’s expectations of a proper princess, in secret she fights crime, isn’t afraid of anything, and doesn’t wear pretty dresses. I love the idea that Magnolia can be a princess and all kick some butt. (I wish she could do it not in secret, but that wouldn’t fit the societal views of princesses in most fairy tales.) I know that the Hales wrote this book for their daughters, and I can see why they did: a great heroine, lots of action, funny, and colorful, fun illustrations. Princess in Black would actually be a perfect first introduction to the narrative elements and plot arc. It also just enough complex vocabulary that you could start a discussion about some of the words.

We Flagged: Chapter Two: “Princesses do not run. Princesses do not stuff frilly pink dresses into broom closets. Princess do not wear black. And princesses most definitely do not slide down secret chutes and high-jump castle walls. But then, most princess do not live near an entrance to Monster Land. Stopping monsters was no job for prim and perfect Princess Magnolia. But fortunately Princess Magnolia did have a secret. She was secretly the Princess in black! And stopping monsters was the perfect job for the Princess in Black.”

Read This If You Loved: Salem Hyde (series) by Frank Cammuso, Battle Bunny by Jon Sciezska, Fairy Tales

Recommended For:

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
Published August 26th, 2014 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: Yippie-i-oh! Saddle up for the first in a spin-off series starring favorite characters from Kate DiCamillo’s New York Timesbest-selling Mercy Watson books.

Leroy Ninker has a hat, a lasso, and boots. What he doesn’t have is a horse — until he meets Maybelline, that is, and then it’s love at first sight. Maybelline loves spaghetti and sweet nothings, and she loves Leroy, too. But when Leroy forgets the third and final rule of caring for Maybelline, disaster ensues. Can Leroy wrestle fate to the ground, rescue the horse of his heart, and lasso loneliness for good? Join Leroy, Maybelline, and a cast of familiar characters — Stella, Frank, Mrs. Watson, and everyone’s favorite porcine wonder, Mercy — for some hilarious and heartfelt horsing around on Deckawoo Drive.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I must be honest: I have not read the Mercy Watson books, but luckily it does not matter because Leroy is just so darn loveable. His personality shines through the pages and you just are so happy that Leroy and Maybelline found each other. Also, Kate DiCamillo has a way with voice! I can always hear her characters talking in my head, and they each are so very distinct. I also love her use of vocabulary and humor–perfect! This one is going to be loved by many!

Discussion Questions: Why do you think that Maybelline is the perfect horse for Leroy?; Was Leroy truly prepared to have a horse? How do you know?; Why does Leroy want to be a cowboy?

We Flagged: Leroy Ninker said ‘Yippie-i-oh’ because Leroy Ninker had a dream. He wanted to be a cowboy.

On Wednesday nights, the Bijou Drive-In Theater ran a Western double feature, and Leroy Ninker Stood and watched in wonder as the great white expanse of the Bijou screen filled with purple mountains, wide-open plains, and cowboys.

The cowboys wore ten-gallon hats. The wore boots. They carried lassos. The cowboys were men who cast long shadows and knew how to fight injustice. They were men who where never, ever afraid.

‘Yippie-i-oh,’ Leroy Ninker whispered to the screen. ‘That is the life for me. A cowboy is who I was meant to be.'” (p.2)

Read This If You Loved: Lulu and the Brontosaurus (series) by Judish Viorst, Frankie Pickle (series) by Eric Wight, Bramble and Maggie (series) by Jessie Haas

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Candlewick Press for providing copies for review**

Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Books: Nine to Twelve Months

February 14, 2021February 25, 2015 by Kellee

This has been such a wonderful year! Being a mom has changed my view of the world and made me think about my place in the world; however, watching my son grow has been the most amazing thing in the world, and I have loved sharing all of the things I love about my son and being a mom.

My favorite thing to share with you all, though, is all of the amazing books Trent and I read. Check out our 0-3 month post, 3-6 month post, and 6-9 month post. Today I wanted to do an overview of Trent’s favorite books over the first year. Although there are so many wonderful books we read over this first year, these are the ones that we find ourselves reading over and over (includes primarily board books because those are easier for Trent to manipulate and sturdier so there is no tearing). To see all that we’ve read and see all of my ratings, check out my Goodreads shelf.

Trent’s Favorite Books
These are the books that Trent will dig through a pile to find when it is time to read.

Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton
This book will help Trent with both animals and counting. Also, it has a super fun song that goes along with the book which makes it so much fun to read!

Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton
I love this book! It is super cute, about an unusual friendship, and also has a great song (sung by Davey Jones).

Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin
Pete is probably Trent’s favorite! As we read, he points at Pete and is mesmorized for the whole book. It also has a fun song (see a trend?!?!).

If I Were a Penguin… by Anne Wilkinson
This book takes us through characteristics of penguins and is a touch-and-feel book. Trent has a favorite page in this book that he’ll open up to and just rub the penguin’s wing and stare at the page for minutes.

Other Favorite Books
There’s a chance Trent will pick these too!

Kiss Kiss Good Night by Ken Kesbitt
This is probably Jim’s favorite book to read to Trent at bedtime. It is a very sweet bedtime story with animals.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
A classic! We love watching the You Tube video that reads the story with us as well as reading the board book. This was the first book that Trent took with him in place of a toy then read in the back seat as I drove him to daycare. This warmed my heart.

Five Black Cats by Patricia Hegarty
This Halloween story is more about some rambunctious black cats. The prose is so much fun to read and the pictures are colorful which holds Trent’s attention.

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (Sound Book) by Sherri Duskey Rinker
I love this story filled with goodnights to our favorite construction machines, and I think the sound makes it even better! The rhyming story with the sounds makes it a wonderful bedtime story.

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
This beautiful look at animals’ bedtime has such amazing artwork. Trent and I love to look at the different animals.

Go, Train, Go! by Wilbert Awdry
Such a fun Thomas the Train story. This is one that Trent has just started picking up often. We’ll have to see what happens!

I so look forward to seeing what books Trent loves over the next year!
What books should I make sure we get to?

Please also check out the video I made of photos of all 300+ books we read with him in his first year: “A First Year Full of Books”!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/23/15

July 27, 2015February 23, 2015 by Kellee

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

Tuesday: Top Ten Book Related Problems We Have

Friday: How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday by Jane Yolen (& Can You Believe Trent is ONE?!)

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This was a crazy week for us! I was planning for Trent’s birthday party all week, so I didn’t get much reading done though I did finish listening to The Lion of Little Rock by Kristin Levine which was so wonderful! I am so glad that I listened to it.

The only new book Trent and I read this week was How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday? by Jane Yolen which I reviewed on Friday. It was a great birthday book.

Ricki: This week, I finished another book on my #mustreadin2015 list: The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer. The writing was stunning, and I was happy to go back and read her guest post from last year. Everyone in my YA book club loved it, and we had a fun time discussing it. I suspect many of you have already read it, but if you haven’t I highly recommend it. I also finished The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers by Johnny Saldaña. My head is spinning at all of the coding possibilities. It was a good read, overall, though.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still reading The Cure for Dreaming which I am very much enjoying. Cat Winters is such a unique writer! In the car, I am going to start listening to The Family Romanov which I am very much looking forward to.

Ricki: Kellee has been telling me to read Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil for quite some time. I finally got around to ordering it via Interlibrary Loan and am excited to read it!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Book Heroines

Wednesday: Trent & Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books: The First Year

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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How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday by Jane Yolen (& Can You Believe Trent is ONE?!)

February 14, 2021February 20, 2015 by Kellee

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday?
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Mark Teague
Published September 1st, 2011 by The Blue Sky Press

Goodreads Summary: Everyone has a birthday, and from riotous birthday parties to the excitement of being one year older, having a birthday is the highlight of a young child’s year.

All little dinosaurs love to get presents, and this new board book will be an immediate favorite. From birthday hats to Ceratosaurus-sized cakes, America’s young readers will laugh out loud as the celebration moves from “bad” birthday behavior to just the right amount of silliness and sharing. Bestselling duo Jane Yolen and Mark Teague have created the perfect introduction to birthday parties, with the same beloved humor and warmth of all their previous bestselling “How Do Dinosaurs” books.

Here’s a wonderful way to say “Happy Birthday!” to any dinosaur…young or old!

My Review: I bought this book to read to Trent on every birthday, and I cannot believe that today is the first one! I decided that this was the perfect birthday book because it is super fun to read, has great dino illustrations by Mark Teague who is such a great artist, and it even teaches a nice message that will be a perfect reminder at each birthday. I am so excited to share it with him for the first time today (and his 1st birthday party is dino themed, so it’s perfect!). Which brings me back to…

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT TRENT IS ONE?!?!

This year has gone by super quickly. To commemorate, I wanted to share some of my favorite things about Trent and being a mom:

1) Trent likes books. I was so worried that I would read to him every day and that it would never lead to Trent liking books; however, that is not the case! He likes to grab his favorites (Pete the Cat, Fifteen Animals, and Personal Penguin) and flip through them or have us read to him. He’s even chosen books a few times as his toy to bring to the car on the way to daycare. I love listening to him in the back seat “reading” to himself.

2) Trent laughs with his whole self. I love when he laughs. He is a full body laugher, and it just fills his whole self and the whole room. And he does that thing where your laugh isn’t just on the exhale, it is on the inhale too. So great!

3) Trent is a super chill, super happy baby. Of course he has his melt downs, he cries when he doesn’t like something, and he cries when he’s tired/hungry/waking up; however, for the most part he is a super chill, super happy baby. His demeanor and attitude make me so proud!

4) Trent loves pop punk, dream pop, the Beatles/”Across the Universe” soundtrack, and the Snoopy song. He loves to listen to music. Trent dancing is SUPER adorable. He kind of shakes his hips and moves back and forth. It is so cute! Also, if he is upset, pop punk music surprisingly calms him down. I really think he likes all music, but these are the ones that he seems to enjoy the most.

5) The way he looks at me. Wow. That way that he looks at me is a look that could melt anyone’s heart. I knew how to love before, but this is a different type of love. It is a love that fills me up and makes me complete.

6) The way he looks at Jim. The whole son/dad thing is just the best ever. I love spying on them and watching them be so cute.

7) Watching him learn. To think that a year ago he was born and couldn’t do anything but poop, pee, and eat, and now he walks, talks, learns, etc. is just the most amazing thing in the entire world. My favorite things he’s learned recently are: how to play by himself, sign language for more, how to turn the propellers on his helicopter, pointing, and the SO BIG game.

8) Everything. I just had to cover my bases in case I forgot something 🙂

Being a mom may just be the coolest thing ever!

Happy birthday Trent! I love you!

A Taste of Freedom: Gandhi and the Great Salt March by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

April 11, 2015February 18, 2015 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!
**This book is technically historical fiction, but I felt it was pretty darn close to nonfiction**

A Taste of Freedom: Gandhi and the Great Salt March
Author: Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Illustrator: Giuliano Ferri
February 11th, 2014 by Walker Childrens

Goodreads Summary: No one ever forgets their first taste of freedom.

Gandhi’s famous Salt March shook the foundations of the British Empire and the world, showing the strength of a people united in peace to fight for freedom. Gandhi’s march had a significant effect on changing world and British attitudes towards Indian independence, and inspired the use of non-violence in other protest movements, like the US Civil Right movement. You’ll never forget Elizabeth Cody Kimmel’s heartwarming, insightful account or Guiliano Ferri’s stunning illustrations of the event seen through the eyes of a child inspired by Gandhi’s vision for a better world.

My Review: This is a good introduction to one of the greatest, most peaceful men ever to live. Although it is a little tame about the history, it overall stays truthful to the history. I very much liked the story-telling feeling of the story and the water color and pencil drawings were so beautiful and soft.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The back matter includes a lot of information including resources to get further information, a map that shows the route of the Dandi March, and an afterword with more information about Gandhi.

Discussion Questions: Why did the young boy join the march?; How did Gandhi change India?; Who do you think is easier to respect in this story: the British or the Indians?

We Flagged:

“Gandhi and the satyagrhis are ready to leave by dawn. I join a long line of people as the Mahatma begins walking. His pace is very fast. Even Rajiv has to breathe heavily to keep up.”

Read This If You Loved: Nonfiction books about people fighting for what they believe in.

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Candlewick for providing a copy of the book**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/16/15

July 27, 2015February 16, 2015 by Kellee

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

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

Tuesday: Top Ten Things We Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Three Bowls of Porridge” by Lisa Heathfield, Author of Seed

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I read The Crossover this week, and I am so glad I did! I am so happy that a book that won the Newbery is one that I love and that is accessible to my students. Oh, and it is diverse! I cannot wait to review this book because this is a book that belongs in a classroom.

With Trent, we read Pete the Cat probably 15 times, Fifteen Animals probably 10 times, and Personal Penguin probably 5 times. The boy finally has favorite books! I know it will eventually become tedious, right now I am loving that he loves these books.

Ricki: I was boring this week. I read 200 pages in a manual about coding qualitative data and read half of a book on qualitative data analysis. Henry has started a new sleeping trend. We read the typical 4-5 books together. Then, we put him down to sleep. He cries and cries unless we read another 4-5 books. We have tried starting off with ten books. Nope. The break—when Mommy and Daddy say goodnight—is required between the ten books. I am not quite sure how to break this trend, but hey, at least the kid wants to read! His current favorites are Trucks by Roger Priddy (a slide and find book), B is for Bear by Roger Priddy (a fantastic alphabet book) and Where’s Spot by Eric Hill (a lift the flap book). He reads each of these at least 15 times per day.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still listening the The Lions of Little Rock, and I am loving it! I am actually listening to it at the same time one of my students is reading it, so I am really enjoying chatting with her about it. As for what book I’m going to read this week, I am going to have to decide, but I think I am going to grab The Cure for Dreaming because I student loved it, and I would love to chat with her about it as well. Trent and I will probably continue reading the same books, but I do want to get Fox in Socks in there because my aunt gave it to Trent and haven’t gotten to it yet.

Ricki: This week, I will be finishing The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer. My friend, Wendy, gave me several new picture books for Henry, so I am excited to get to those, too.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Book Related Problems We Have

Friday: How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday by Jane Yolen (& Can You Believe Trent is ONE?!)

So, what are you reading?

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From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Four | Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) by Barbara Bottner; The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, The Exploding Eggs, The Wolf, and Grandma by Diane Fox; The Very Inappropriate Word by Jim Torbin; Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse; & The Girl Who Heard Colors by Marie Harris

July 5, 2016February 13, 2015 by Kellee

Because of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? posts, I find myself often with huge piles of picture books from the library that were highly recommended by fellow bloggers. I celebrate many of the nonfiction pictures books on Wednesdays, but I want to share some of the fiction picture books I have enjoyed. So, I decided to start series here on UR where I can pass on the love for these books sporadically as I read them. Here is a list of some great pictures books that I’ve read recently from my huge library pile (part 4!).

Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t)
Author: Barbara Bottner
Illustrator: Michael Emberley
Published March 9th, 2010 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

I am a sucker for books that celebrate books. I am also a sucker for books that celebrate teachers/librarians. This book does both. I love that the librarian never gives up and is such a book lover. I love that the little girl is real and someone that all teachers will encounter each year. And I love how the two come together with a perfect ending.

The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma
Author: Diane Fox
Illustrator: Christyan Fox
Published August 26th, 2014 by Scholastic Press

This book is hilarious!
Cat is reading “Little Red Riding Hood” to her friend, Dog, but he keeps interrupting asking questions that Cat is not prepared, or doesn’t want, to answer. Dog is such a funny character! I am sure we all have friends or students or kids that do exactly what Dog does to Cat.
I really hope that Diane and Christyan Fox write more Cat & Dog stories because I’d love to hear their take on other fairy tales!

The Very Inappropriate Word
Author: Jim Torbin
Illustrator: Dave Coverly
Published August 20th, 2013 by Henry Holt and Co.

Michael is a word collector. He loves words! One day he finds a word he doesn’t know, but it turns out to be an inappropriate word.
I love how the teacher deals with Michael’s finding of this new word, I love how the words are exhibited throughout the book, I love how this book promotes learning and vocabulary, I love how fun the illustrations are, and I love the ending! Great book to share with kids. (BTW: Direct connection to A Snicker of Magic)

Come On, Rain!
Author: Karen Hesse
Illustrator: Jon J. Muth
Published March 1st, 1999 by Scholastic Press

I love Karen Hesse’s writing. She just has a way of putting words together and making them sound like dances. Come On, Rain! is the story of a young girl waiting for rain after a drought and the celebration she, and her friends and family, has after the rain comes. In addition to the beautiful writing, the watercolor illustrations adds an extra beauty to the story making it even more like a piece of art. I also truly appreciate the diversity of the families portrayed.

The Girl Who Heard Colors
Author: Marie Harris
Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Published September 26th, 2013 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Synesthesia is something that I only became aware of after reading The Noisy Paint Box, and the idea of seeing colors of words or hear colors or foods having colors when you eat them just is quite fascinating and intriguing. This is a picture book, a very well done picture book, that introduces Jillian who is a young girl who loves her 5 senses and specifically loves being able to see colors of things. She doesn’t realize that this is different until she starts school, but she soon realizes it isn’t something to be ashamed of but something to be proud of.

What picture books should I add to my pile next?

Want to see Part One? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Two? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Three? You can view it HERE.