Happy Thanksgiving!

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We hope you are enjoying the holiday. This year, we look forward to gathering around our tables and sharing how grateful we are to have such loving families. Ricki’s son was born two days before Thanksgiving last year, and she will always think of Henry (her little turkey) on this day. For Kellee, this is her first Thanksgiving with Trent. Our hearts are full with love for these little boys, and we hope to instill in them our love of reading.

For us, Thanksgiving is a great time for reflection—to talk about everything that went right. This day shouldn’t be about headdresses and feather costumes (actually these stereotypes should be avoided!), and instead, Thanksgiving is an appreciation of supportive family and good friends. This includes you, our blog friends. We are very fortunate to have you in our lives. Each week, we look forward to hearing from you. You invigorate us, and we want to give our thanks to you.
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/24/14

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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 Elizabeth Queen of the Seas Ricki and Henry Trent6-9monthsfavbooks

Tuesday: Top Ten Topics We’d Like to See More in Picture Books

Thursday: Henry and Ricki’s favorite PB 6-12 months

Friday: Trent and Kellee’s favorite PBs 6-9 months

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

Kellee & Ricki: We are currently absorbing the awesomeness of the ALAN workshop in Washington, D.C. We will update you on our reading last week and this upcoming week next Monday. Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday Holocaust thanks yellowballoon

Tuesday: Top Ten Books On Our Winter TBR

 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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Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books: Six to Nine Months

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Trent6-9monthsfavbooks

I CANNOT believe that my baby boy is already 9 months old (as of yesterday)! He is growing so quickly and is such an awesome little kid.  We have continued reading as close to a book a day as possible and we are currently at 230 books! He’s been alive 264 days so if you count rereads we are pretty close to a book a day.

I will say that a 9 month old is much harder to get to sit down and read a book than a 3 month old!  Also, over these 3 months, we focused on doing a lot of rereads because I felt we were rushing too much through books and not finding favorites. Because of these factors, we only read 59 different books over these 3 months vs. 91 during 0-3 months and 92 during 3-6 months.

Today, I wanted to share some of our 20 favorite books that we’ve read over the last 3  months. I did not include any rereads on the list because our favorites had already been mentioned on our past lists: 0-3 months & 3-6 months.

1. Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton

personal

This is probably our favorite. It has a song of it sung by Davey Jones, and we follow along as we listen to the song. It is our go-to book right now.

2. Mini Myths by Joan Holub

pandora hercules

I love that Joan Holub is turning myths into board books! They aren’t very detailed, but they give basic information about the myth and teach a lesson.

3. Swing! and Waddle! by Rufus Butler Seder

swing waddle

Scanimation illustrations mesmerize Trent, and with the rhyming text, these books are so entertaining to read.

4. Five Black Cats by Patricia Hegarty

fiveblack

Trent really enjoyed this book. I think it is the rhythm of the rhyming prose mixed with the colorful illustrations.
(Fun side note: When we first picked this up to read, Jim said, “Let’s read Five Black Cats.” Then Trent responded with something that sounded very much like “Fie Back Cats.” Probably a coincidence, but it was awesome!)

5. Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

goodnight

I couldn’t believe I’d never read this book before! And I love that my husband pointed out the nuance that is the mouse in the book. He made me love it even more, and the simple story with strong illustrations holds Trent’s attention.

6. You Are My Work of Art by Sue DiCicco

work of art

Such a sweet, sweet, sweet message AND it is told using classic works of art. This book is right up our alley!

7. Big Bug by Henry Cole

big bug

This is a great book about perspective. This is a tough concept to teach, so Cole’s book will be great to help share it with Trent.

8. Books Always Everywhere by Jane Blatt

everywhere

Loved the promotion of reading a books with little ones in this book.

9. Up Close by Gay Wegerif

up close

This book teaches shapes, colors, and animals! Win!

10. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

runaway

A classic with such a sweet message about mothers’ true love.

11. Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

mike mulligan

I remember reading this book as a child, but I hadn’t remembered how good it was. It is a story of true friendship and perseverance.

12. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

green eggs

I have found that sometimes when I read a Dr. Seuss book with Trent, it doesn’t live up to my memory of the book; however, this one did! The rhymes and realization at the end are just done so well.

13. Kiss, Kiss Good Night by Ken Kesbitt

kiss kiss

A sweet bedtime book with mom animals saying goodnight to their sweet babies.

14. Bob the Dog by Rodrigo Folgueira

bob

Although the lesson at the end of the book was blatant, the illustrations, humor, and crazy characters makes this a new favorite for us.

15. Antic! by Cathi Hepworth

antics

This is an ABC book like no other I’ve ever read. The inclusion of ANT in each word made it so the author had to stretch a bit, but the stretching what made it so the author had to be creative. There are some phenomenal words in this book.

16. This Moose Belongs to Me! by Oliver Jeffers

moosebelongs

My husband read this book to Trent and it made us both laugh out loud. Another brilliant book from Oliver Jeffers.

17. Oliver by Birgitta Sif

oliver

I love the lesson that is taught in this one. It is one I look forward to reading to Trent when he gets older.

18. Pardon Me! by Daniel Miyares

pardon

Um, the ending!

19. The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett

bicycle

The illustrations are perfection and mixed with the sweet story of a kind girl make me read this to Trent multiple times (and since it didn’t have any words, I was able to change up the story each time!).

20. Thomas the Tank Engine: Shapes and Sizes by Wilbert Awdry

thomas

This is one of Trent’s favorite books. It is the one he pulls off the shelf (and usually puts straight in his mouth).

 Almost. Baby Beluga by Raffi

Baby beluga

I LOVED this song when I was a kid! When I read this to Trent, I pull up a You Tube video of Raffi singing, and we follow along. The book would have made the list, not been honorary, because we like the song and book; however, the ecology just isn’t correct…

What books should Trent read in the next 3 months? 

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/17/14

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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 From My (Huge) Library Pile writing great books for young adults snowman

Tuesday: Top Ten Characters We Wish Would Get Their OWN Book

Friday: Snowman’s Story Blog Tour

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I was able to finish 2 of the 4 books that I was reading last week: Ares by George O’Connor and Amulet: Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi. They were both SO GOOD! If anyone ever questioned the brilliance of graphic novels, they just need to pick up these series. I also was able to read Exquisite Corpse by Penelope Bagieu, an adult graphic novel from France, and it has a twist I DID NOT see coming. Overall, a wonderful graphic novel reading week!

With Trent we read three new books this week. They all were from my mom and quite good. First, Watch Me Hop! had animated illustrations and a nice rhyme scheme, I Love You When… was another sweet “I Love You” book, but the best was Bob the Dog by Rodrigo Folgueira which was quite funny and had great illustrations.

Ricki: I am thrilled to say that I finished my last professional development text for the semester! Yahoo! I read Lynn Atkinson Smolen and Ruth A. Oswald’s Multicultural Literature and Response: Affirming Diverse Voices. I particularly appreciated the chapters devoted to different races and ethnicities. For instance, I learned a lot about Appalachian literature. There is a lot of practical advice for teachers in this text. The last chapter provided a great overview of different multicultural awards, a conference, and outreach programs devoted to multicultural literature.

I also finished listening to Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. I’ve wanted to read this book since it came out many, many years ago. On a whim, I reserved the audiobook at the library. It was an excellent book to listen to, and I loved getting lost in the Dutch, 17th-century setting.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I had planned on reading The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney, but so many students wanted to read it, I couldn’t keep it any longer. Dylan F. is now reading it, and I have a 5+ name waiting list. One day I’ll get to read it 🙂 I am still reading Mira’s Diary: Bombs Over London and am about half way through. It is as good as the first two, but I just haven’t found as much time to read as I liked since I am working on getting ready for NCTE (I’m presenting with Cece Bell, Nathan Hale, Frank Cammuso, and Trevor Pryce!) and ALAN (I’m moderating the Walden Award panel!). I also have The Silver Six by AJ Lieberman, a new-to-me graphic novel, to read. I love being introduced to new GNs! I am not sure how much reading I’ll get done over the next two weeks because of the conference, so we’ll see!

Ricki: I am free! Free to be! I am excited to get back into my groove of reading young adult literature. I feel like the world is my oyster, and I am pumped to get started on a few YA ARCs that I’ve received this month. One I am particularly excited to read is Audacity by Melanie Crowder.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday Elizabeth Queen of the Seas Ricki and Henry Trent6-9monthsfavbooks

Tuesday: Top Ten Topics We’d Like to See More in Picture Books

Thursday: Henry and Ricki’s favorite PBs, 6-12 months

Friday: Trent and Kellee’s favorite PBs, 6-9 months

 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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Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Review!: Snowman’s Story by Will Hillenbrand

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Snowman’s Story
Author: Will Hillenbrand
Published November 18th, 2014 by Two Lions

Goodreads Summary: One wintry day, a hat lands on the head of a newly made snowman and brings him to life. Hiding inside the hat is a rabbit, who listens to the snowman read a story to some animal friends. When the snowman falls asleep, the rabbit hops away with the book. But the snowman isn’t about to let his story. or the mischievous rabbit, get away. The chase is on! Filled with charm and fun, this wordless picture book from a beloved illustrator lets kids tell their own version of the story, even as they delight in the action-filled pages.

About the Author: Will Hillenbrand has illustrated many beloved picture books, including Kiss the Cow by Phyllis Root; and Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep!, and Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! by Maureen Wright. He has also written and illustrated a number of picture books, including Down by the Barn, the Bear and Mole series, and Mother Goose Picture Puzzles. Will enjoys visiting schools to talk about the creative process involved in making a picture book. He lives with his wife, Jane, and their son, Ian, in Terrace Park, Ohio. For more information, visit his website: http://www.willhillenbrand.com

WillHillenbrand2012 (2) (1)

Our Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This beautifully illustrated, wordless picture book whisks readers into the brisk, wintery setting that fill the pages. As a rabbit jumps into a snowman’s hat, he comes alive with all of the forest animals. Rabbit steals the a book from the animals which sets them all on the move—they must get that book back! Children will be able to create their own stories as they read this magical tale, and the great element of wordless books is that readers can change the story each time they read along. These picture books are great to inspire creativity—they honor the child’s voice and imagination. Teachers might consider using them as starting points for creative writing opportunities in the classroom.

Discussion Questions: Why do you think the author chose the animals he did?; In what ways does the author tell the story without using words?; Do you like wordless picture books? Why or why not?; Write your own narrative following Snowman’s Story‘s illustrations. In what ways could you change your story while still staying true to the illustrations?

Fun Stuff! 

Coloring Sheet!

Snowman's Story_coloring page (2)

Help Snowman Find his Story (free downloadable game!)

Book Trailer: 

Follow all the stops on the SNOWMAN’S STORY blog tour!
Mon, Nov 3
As They Grow Up
Tues, Nov 4
Cracking the Cover
Wed, Nov 5
Geo Librarian
Thurs, Nov 6
5 Minutes for Books
Fri, Nov 7
Momma Drama
Sat, Nov 8
Booking Mama
Mon, Nov 10
Just a Little Creativity
Tues, Nov 11
Kid Lit Frenzy
Wed, Nov 12
Children’s Book Review
Thurs, Nov 13
Displaced Yinzer
Fri, Nov 14
Once Upon a Story
Unleashing Readers

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing copies for review!**

From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Two | Julia’s House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke, Frances Dean Loves to Dance and Dance by Birgitta Sif, Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian, Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds, Quest by Aaron Becker, & Flight School by Lita Judge

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From My (Huge) Library Pile

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 2!).

Julia

Julia’s House for Lost Creatures
Author: Ben Hatke
Published October 14th, 2014 by First Second Books

I am a huge fan of Zita the Spacegirl, and I was so happy to see that Ben Hatke had written a picture book.  I truly enjoyed Julia’s House for Lost Creatures. The illustrations are so much fun, and the story was simple yet entertaining. Julia loves her new house, but she finds that she is lonely. So, she decides to open her home to any lost or lonely creatures that need a home. Soon, though, she finds that some rules need to be set up to ensure that her house runs smoothly.

frances

Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance
Author: Birgitta Sif
Published August 26th, 2014 by Candlewick Press

Birgitta Sif’s other book Oliver really stuck with me (about imagination and empathy), so when I was told about Frances Dean, I knew I had to read it. Frances Dean is a kindred spirit who finds true joy in dancing; however, she soon notices that others are judging her, so she stops. But she then realizes that if she doesn’t dance, she isn’t happy, so she embraces who she is.  This book is about empowerment and not hiding one’s gift.

memoirs

Memoirs of a Goldfish
Author: Devin Scillian
Illustrator: Tim Bowers
Published April 1st, 2010 by Sleeping Bear Press

This picture book was wonderful! It chronicles the life of a goldfish as he deals with what ends up being a quite hectic life. The illustrations were beautiful, the fish has an amazing voice, I love the premise, the theme is universal, and it would prompt great writing activities. Love it!

going places

Going Places
Authors: Peter and Paul Reynolds
Published March 18th, 2014 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Peter Reynolds has a way of making his readers feel empowered. When you finish his books, you want to go DO something. This book is no different. Going Places promotes thinking outside of the box and collaborating.

quest

Quest
Author: Aaron Becker
Published August 26th, 2014 by Candlewick Press

Quest is a beautiful continuation of Journey. Aaron Becker starts where the first book left off, but Quest is as unique as Journey was. The kids we met in the first book are swept into an adventure to save a king who has armed them with the tools to save the kingdom. I read this book over and over again because there are so many different little nuances in this adventure that promotes creativity, imagination, and teamwork. To be honest, I almost like Quest better than journey because the kids work together.

flight school

Flight School
Author: Lita Judge
Published April 15th, 2014 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

I really enjoyed this little, quirky book! The poor penguin just wants to fly. More than anything in the world. So, he goes to a flight school that promises that they can teach any bird to fly. Though they try and try, the poor penguin just fails, but he never gives up! You cannot help but love this little penguin! In addition, the themes in this book (determination, friendship, positivity) are deeper than the funny text that accompany it.

What picture books should I add to my pile next? 

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

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/10/14

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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.

Congratulations to 
LINDA B. 
for winning set of The Worst Witch series

Last Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday ivanpb rain small

Tuesday: Top Ten Books We Want To Reread

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

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I am actually in the middle of four books!!! But I have not finished any of them (I’ll tell you more about them below). I did finish Dragons Beware! by Juan Aguirre which is just as good as the first! I cannot wait for it to come out, so I can buy it for my classroom. I also read Soccer Star by Mina Javaherbin which I am definitely going to feature on one of my library posts. It was very good!

With Trent, all 3 new books we read this week were quite good. First, we read The Listening Walk by Paul Showers which had so many fun onomatopoeias! I’ll post about this one in a library post as well, but I will say now: If you teach elementary, get this one and do some listening walks with your kids! Trent and I also read Waddle! and Swing! by Rufus Butler Seder. These books have scanimation illustrations which are so much fun! Great reading with the boy!

Ricki: This week, I read a book that I am book-talking at the ALAN Workshop: Stone Cove Island by Suzanne Myers. This page-turner is reminiscent of a classic text taught in many schools. I can’t share which text—because it would spoil a plot twist. I also read Snowman’s Story by Will Hillenbrand. Henry and I started several books, but he wasn’t in the mood to read anything other than ye ol’ Goodnight Moon. Henry and I enjoyed the CT Children’s Book Fair this weekend. We met several characters like Llama Llama, Pokey, and Clifford (to name a few). We also were fortunate to speak with Natalie Lloyd, author of A Snicker of Magic. She is awesome!

Natalie Lloyd

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently reading Amulet 6 by Kazu Kibuishi, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Long Haul by Jeff Kinney, Mira’s Diary: Bombs Over London by Marissa Moss, and Ares by George O’Conner. All are super good (in very different ways)! I hope to finish some of them this week (although I am focused on getting ready for NCTE/ALAN which is creeping up super quickly!).

Ricki: I am still reading Lynn Atkinson Smolen and Ruth A. Oswald’s Multicultural Literature and Response: Affirming Diverse Voices. This is my last PD text for my independent study. I’ll be wrapping a new picture book for every day of December (leading up until Christmas). Henry and I will read a new book every night. Luckily, I don’t need to go broke doing this. My friend, Wendy Glenn, gave me a bunch!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday From My (Huge) Library Pile writing great books for young adults snowman

Tuesday: Top Ten Characters We Wish Would Get Their OWN Book

Friday: Snowman’s Story Blog Tour

 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!

 Signature andRickiSig