Kellee – Page 251 – Unleashing Readers

One Year Anniversary Celebration Week: New Year’s Resolutions

June 29, 2014June 27, 2014 by Kellee

As we begin our second year, we have spent time reflecting and setting goals. We are extremely proud of our accomplishments in this first year, but we hope to grow even more over this next year. Here are some of our plans:

1. Review more professional books and middle grade novels

We did a survey a couple of months ago asking what our readers would like to see more of, and both professional texts and middle grade were at the top of the list. We take your feedback seriously, and we will work on this over the next year.

2. More teaching posts

We also learned from the survey that our teacher reflection posts are appreciated by our viewers. We plan to post more of these in the future.

3. Update About Us

Our lives have changed tremendously over the last year, so we definitely need to get into our “About Us” page and update the information.

4. Update and add to our “Navigating Literary Elements” page

We have recommendations for setting, characterization, and language under our literary elements page, but have plans to add conflict, voice, and imagery. Based on the books we read this year, we will adjust a few of our recommendations to keep the titles new and fresh!

5. Best For…. List

We are often asked about the BEST books for each grade level, so want to compile grade-specific lists to help teachers build and adjust their curricula.

Cheers to a new year!

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One Year Anniversary Celebration Week: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/23/14

July 27, 2015June 23, 2014 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.

Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to our winners:

Beth Shaum (How to Cheer Up Dad)

Melissa Guerrette (Eleanor series)

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books on our Summer TBR Lists

Friday: Lisa Martens’ Guest Post: Mental Illness, Brain Disease, and Societal Pressures: Top 5 Books on Brain Matters

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Another really great reading week in the Moye house. I read some phenomenal books. First was The F-It List by Julie Halpern which was a true yet fun look at living with a friend with cancer. Then was Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys which blew me away! Anyone who wants to argue that YA isn’t literary or thought-provoking should read this novel. It had a fascinating setting in a 1950s New Orleans brothel and an amazing protagonist. Next was Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan about a young albino teenager in Tanzania. It was filled with such deep themes such as identity, family, and prejudice. Last was Winger by Andrew Smith. Wow. What a way to end the week. It was a book that kept me reading and guessing—well written and a wonderful voice. Between these books and Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott I read last week, I think I’ve read some of my top books of the year in the last 2 weeks.

Trent and I continued our journey into literature as well:

Diddle Diddle Dumpling by Tracey Campbell Pearson (A fun take on a classic nursery rhyme.)
So Many Bunnies by Rick Walton (Looks at counting, ABCs, and rhyming. Almost too much in one book and some of the rhymes/combos were quite a stretch.)
If You Were a Penguin by Florence Minor (Loved this one. A lyrical picture book, but with information about penguins within. This was from my summer TBR post, and I am glad we were able to get to it.)
Sandbox by Rosemary Wells (Not my favorite Rosemary Wells book, but still well done and the textures will fascinate a young reader.)
In the Garden by Elizabeth Spurr (Loved how simple yet how detailed this book was. Using few words it tells the story of a young boy growing a garden.)
Sheila Rae’s Peppermint Stick by Kevin Henkes (Kevin Henkes can do no wrong. A cute story about sharing and siblings.)
Who Are They? by Tana Hoban (A wordless picture book in black and white to catch a baby’s attention. Works on counting and animals.)

I forgot to mention last week that many of these books are from Trent’s first visit to the library!!! Although we have read library books since he was born, this was the first time we went to visit (library books get delivered to my house if I request them). My mom and I took Trent who was mesmerized by all of the books, and I was able to pick up a huge pile of board books–score!

Ricki: This week, I read a great book about a girl who is a Siren. This was my first book within the Siren/Mermaid trend, and I had a lot of fun reading it. It is from a smaller press (WiDo) and is called Voices of the Sea by Bethany Masone Harar. Henry and I also read What’s Your Favorite Animal? which is a delightful book that is edited by Eric Carle. Fourteen famous children’s writers/illustrators draw and describe their favorite animal. I loved it. We also read Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown, One Little Match by Thomas S. Monson, and The Sleepy Book by Margaret Wise Brown. All three were very good.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started Reality Boy on Sunday, and I hope to finish it soon. I then will go on to Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. After that I am not sure. Any one read any of these: Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin, Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian, The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman, or Golden by Jessi Kirby? I can’t decide what to read next.

Ricki: I am still reading A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. I am savoring it, and I save it for times I need a pick-me-up. It is simply fabulous. I am also reading a few professional development books, but I will share more about them when I make a more significant dent. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

We are celebrating our one year anniversary this week!!!

Come by each day to celebrate with us!

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Posts in the First Year of Unleashing Readers

Wednesday: Why Do We Blog?

Thursday: What We’ve Learned This Year

Friday: New Year’s Resolution

Saturday: Wrap Up

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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Author Guest Post!: Mental Illness, Brain Disease, and Societal Pressures: My Top 5 Books on Brain Matters by Lisa Martens, author of Jamais Vu

July 15, 2014June 20, 2014 by Kellee

Mental Illness, Brain Disease, and Societal Pressures: My Top 5 Books on Brain Matters by Lisa Martens

As a former epileptic, my favorite books center around mental health and brain disorders. One condition often affects the other: Schizophrenics simply have different brains than so-called “normal” people. But where does the physical problem end and the mental problem begin? Is there even a difference, or are they constantly informing one another? Here are my Top 5 books on brain matters:

Wintergirls by Louise Halse Anderson – (Fiction) Anorexia has broken the hearts and bodies of many teenagers in our society. Wintergirls shows one teen girl’s struggle with the disease after her best friend dies. This issue has an abnormally high fatality rate, probably because the logic is so airtight, so cyclical. It is true, without a doubt, that our society makes huge demands on girls to be thin. It’s easy for a young woman to feel that, given the standard for beauty, that she is supposed to starve herself to be loved. This book is relatable even if you do not have an eating disorder. But! Trigger warning if you are in recovery. This book could potentially cause you to relapse. You’re beautiful the way you are!
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan – (Nonfiction) What happens when something is wrong with your brain? Like, physically wrong with your brain? Sometimes people don’t believe you. Sometimes people search for a psychological cause to a physical problem. That’s what happens here in Brain on Fire. This is nonfiction and chronicles the journey of Susanna through a rare brain condition. The book is also a call to action: Susannah was cured because she was lucky enough to have great insurance, a supportive family who never gave up, and more resources than most of us have. What happens to those who have this rare condition, but are wrongfully diagnosed and institutionalized, possibly forever? Like Plath’s character in The Bell Jar.
Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely – (Fiction) This book, though fictional, centers around the very real abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in the early 2000s. Although the main characters are far more wealthy than I ever was as a child, all the pressures are there: to be perfect, to be an adult, to reconcile having been abused with your sexual identity. Aiden, the main character, struggles to understand that he was abused, and that he is not homosexual. His good friend Mark was also abused, but is genuinely homosexual. Both boys struggle with the guilt of feeling like they ‘deserved’ or ‘asked for’ this abuse to happen to them. This book reminds us that sometimes even the most affluent, supposedly privileged people in our society can fall victim: Abuse and betrayal know no price tag.
You Jump, I Jump by Annarose Russo – (Nonfiction) This book has an online community centered around it, and can serve as a resource for teens struggling with their own depression. The book itself is published by indie author Annarose Russo, who has used her own struggles with depression to inspire others going through the same issues.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath – (Fiction-ish) The more I read this Sylvia Plath classic, the more I appreciate it. As a teenager, I enjoyed the strong female character, and the acknowledgment (finally!) of the extra pressures growing women go through. As I’ve learned more about the context and the time period, specifically the Red Scare, this book is all the more powerful. Sylvia lived during a time where ‘strangeness’ could easily be associated with ‘communism’, and the United States was on a witch hunt. Coupled with her own issues, the pressure to be the perfect woman, daughter, and writer must have been great. To be anything else would have been unpatriotic.

What is your favorite book on mental health or brain health? Why are these conditions important for Young Adult readers to learn about?

————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lisa Martens believes in brain matters! She’s the author of Jamais Vu written under pen name Floyd Rios.

In Jamais Vu, Arsenal Mist is an epileptic girl living in Plano, Texas. To her parents, everything seems fine, but Arsenal actually suffers from the rarest side effects of her seizure medication: night terrors, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts . . . Will she be cured, or will the “cure” destroy her?

Follow Lisa:

Twitter: @WitnessLima

Instagram: @WitnessLima

Tumblr: todaysrandomluckywinner.tumblr.com

Thank you Lisa for your post!

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The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

December 13, 2015June 18, 2014 by Kellee

The Invisible Boy
Author: Trudy Ludwig
Illustrator: Patrice Barton
Published October 8th, 2013 by Alfred A. Knopf

Goodreads Summary: Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party . . . until, that is, a new kid comes to class.

When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine.

From esteemed author and speaker Trudy Ludwig and acclaimed illustrator Patrice Barton, this gentle story shows how small acts of kindness can help children feel included and allow them to flourish. Any parent, teacher, or counselor looking for material that sensitively addresses the needs of quieter children will find The Invisible Boy a valuable and important resource.

Includes backmatter with discussion questions and resources for further reading.

Review: Wow. This book affected me, so I know it would affect students. Although this is a book aimed at helping students think about how they affect others, there was one scene, early on, that shows Brian being ignored by everyone including his teacher which made me even sadder. It is so important for everyone, adults included, to think about how they treat or ignore others.

The other thing that I thought was brilliant was the way the illustrations were done. Brian comes to life actually right in front of our eyes. Such a smart way to visually show the moral of the story.

If you have not read this book yet, get it from your library or just go ahead and purchase it. You will not regret it.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book needs to be added to any kindness or empathy units out there right now. When I go back into the classroom, I will include it when I read Each Kindness, Because Amelia Smiled, and Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon (check out my post on how I use Each Kindness in my middle school classroom. Invisible Boy will fit perfectly.)

The author also includes recommended reading for adults and kids as well as wonderful Questions for Discussion in the back of the book.

Discussion Questions: (Found in the backmatter of the book) How many kids did it take in this story to help Brian begin to feel less invisible?; What specifically did Justin do to make Brian feel less invisible?; Are there kids in your class, grade, or school who you see being treated as if they are invisible? If yes, what could you do to make them feel more valued and appreciated?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell, Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein, Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea

Recommended For:

Review, Giveaway, and Author Interview!: How To Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler

June 13, 2015June 13, 2014 by Kellee

How To Cheer Up Dad
Author and Illustrator: Fred Koehler
Published March 20th, 2014 by Dial

Goodreads Summary: A hilarious book about parent and child relationships for fans of Ian Falconer and Jon Agee–a perfect gift idea for Father’s Day and beyond!

Little Jumbo just can’t understand why his dad is having such a bad day. It couldn’t be the raisins Little Jumbo spit out at the ceiling or the bath he refused to take–after all, Little Jumbo’s dad knew he hated raisins and had already taken a bath that week! Luckily, Little Jumbo is such a thoughtful elephant that he decides to turn his dad’s bad day around with some of his–ahem, his dad’s –favorite things.

How to Cheer up Dad is a standout debut featuring a charmingly oblivious little elephant with serious pluck and staying power. It turns the parent-child roles upside down is a great book for dads and the kids who make them laugh.

Review: This book was a gift for my husband and son to read together, and it is a perfect father-son book. It shows the connection that a child and parent has, and also how a child’s choices can affect a parent and vice versa. It is a wonderful conversation starter and is a wonderful way to teach this lesson. And it is funny!

Additionally, I LOVE the illustrations. Fred Koehler’s style adds an extra layer of joy to the book (with Fred’s “signature messy line work”). The illustrations also add extra information to the story. It takes both the illustrations and the text to tell the whole story.

Author Interview: I’m so happy to be able to share with you all an exclusive author Q&A with Fred Koehler, the author and illustrator of How to Cheer Up Dad.

Kellee @ Unleashing Readers: How did you transition from being a graphic artist to being an author/illustrator?

Fred Koehler: Awesome question! I’ve always been a writer and a doodler–in sketchbooks, my church bulletin, or the margins of my homework assignments. I studied graphic design in college and sadly, there was very little doodling to be done on a computer screen. Several years into my career as a designer I discovered drawing tablets, which allow the artist to use a digital pen that translates directly into the design software. So then I could doodle directly onto the screen and it suddenly clicked. I could use everything I’d learned as a designer and translate that into digital drawings.

The writing had always been a creative outlet for me, and I’d written at least one finished novel (which will never get published because it was awful). But… when I started to combine the writing with the drawing and the design all together, it took my artistry to a completely new level.

UR: What is the inspiration behind How to Cheer Up Dad?

FK: How to Cheer Up Dad is really a reminder to myself and parents everywhere that our kids are capable of being incredibly awesome and terribly frustrating with barely a breath in between. Kids live life without any filters, and it’s up to us as parents to decide how we’re going to react to that reality. The main character, Little Jumbo, is loosely based on both my son, Jack, and myself when I was a kid. Little Jumbo is charmingly oblivious to the massive amounts of trouble he causes, but genuinely dedicated to making things right in the end.

UR: Why elephants?

FK: The elephants came from a random doodle at Mitchell’s Coffee House in Lakeland, FL. I was there with my son, trying to work on some sketches, and my son was trying to get me to do anything but work on my sketches. I just remember being frustrated by the whole ordeal, coming home, and later seeing this doodle of two elephants in my sketchbook. Lucy Cummins, an art director at Simon & Schuster, eventually saw that sketch, and suggested how I might start to turn it into a picture book. I followed her advice and had several publishers fall in love with the characters. Eventually Kate Harrison at Dial Books for Young Readers acquired the manuscript. Plus, elephants are funny. And awesome.

UR: What illustrators and authors inspire you?

FK: One of the coolest things about this industry is the people you get to meet. Growing up I watched all the Chuck Jones cartoons, loved Jim Hensen’s work, and had every Disney animated movie memorized. When I started pursuing the path of becoming an author/illustrator, I got to meet lots and lots of other up-and-coming artists and storytellers who have inspired me. LeUyen Pham (Bedtime for Mommy, Freckleface Strawberry) recently accepted my FB friend request, so she’s at the top of my mind. I love her line work and the expressions that she gets from her characters. I got to watch Molly Idle (Tea Rex, Flora and the Flamingo) go from working for small indie publishers to winning a Caldecott honor last year. Dan Santat (Beekle, Sidekicks) has awesome writing/illustrating chops, and he gave me great advice early on. And the prolific Paul Zelinsky (Z is For Moose, The Wheels on the Bus, many others) has been kind enough to let me ask him lots of rookie questions along the way.

UR: Are you working on anything else?

FK: Yes! Right now I’ve got two more books under contract. Little Jumbo is getting a sequel, and I’m still working with my incredible editor Kate Harrison and my awesome art director Lily Malcom on how exactly we’re going to one-up the work we did with How to Cheer Up Dad. It’s got such universal relevance and Little Jumbo is such a likable character, we’ve got to make sure and give him a sequel worthy of his potential.

Also great news is that I’m working with Rebecca Davis at Boyds Mills Press to illustrate One Day, The End, which was written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. And, since I think your readers might like to get the first sneak peek ever, I’m going to let slip a screen shot of the unnamed little girl who will star in this extremely creative book. This image is from my art direction concept that was just recently approved by the publisher. 🙂

UR: Thank you so much Fred for the amazing interview and exclusive sneak peek! I, personally, am so excited for all of your upcoming projects! And because of how much I loved How to Cheer Up Dad and because of your kindness, I am happy to be able to offer a giveaway of a signed copy of How to Cheer Up Dad with a custom illustration on the inside cover! Thank you Fred for that as well!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book is great to teach cause and effect. Readers can learn about why the dad is in a foul mood and what Jumbo does to fix it. It would be a perfect way to discuss the difficult concept of cause and effect using a situation that is very accessible.

Discussion Questions: What has caused Little Jumbo’s dad to be in a bad mood? What are the effects of his bad mood? What does Little Jumbo do to help cheer his dad up?

We Flagged:

Dad’s mood was clearly getting worse, so Little Jumbo suggested that Dad needed a time out.

Read This If You Loved: Hug Time by Patrick McDonell, Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems, My Dad Thinks He’s Funny by Katrina Germein

Recommended For:

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And to all of our dad readers: Happy Father’s Day!

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock

June 29, 2014June 11, 2014 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!

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art
Author: Barb Rosenstock
Illustrator: Mary Grandpré
Published February 11th, 2014 by Alfred A. Knopf

Goodreads Summary: In this exuberant celebration of creativity, Barb Rosenstock and Mary Grandpre tell the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the very first painters of abstract art. Throughout his life, Kandinsky experienced colors as sounds, and sounds and colors–and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box.

Review: I love the visual arts. Growing up with a father that ran an art museum, going to visit museums and learning about art was part of my life. Throughout all of this exploration, I found that I loved modern art more than any other: Seurat, Rauschenberg, Picasso, etc. Kandinsky is one of the artists whose art I really enjoyed. This book let me see into Kandinsky’s mind, and see how abstract art came to be through his synesthesia. Fascinating!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This is a perfect introduction to Kandinsky and abstract art. Abstraction is a hard concept to understand (though kids seem to get it more than kids), and this book helps explain how abstract art came to be. I can see this book being used in a lit circle/jig saw type fashion where kids learn about different creative people through narrative nonfiction biographies and research, write an evidence-based biography, and then share them with the other groups.

Discussion Questions: How did Kandinsky change art?; Have you ever had teachers/parents who didn’t understand you? What happened?; What is synesthesia? How did it affect the art Kandinsky made?

Book Trailer:

We Flagged: “His artist friends understood. They too were tired of painting pretty landscapes and pretty ladies. They thought art needed to change.
‘Art should make you feel,’ Vasya told them. ‘Like music.’
‘Exactly!’ said his friends. But none of them knew how to paint feelings…
until the day Vasya grew brave enough…
and invited the world to see the paintings roaring from his noisy paint box.”

Read This If You Loved: Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Christina Björk, Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds, Sandy’s Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone, Art by Patrick McDonnell, Art & Max by David Wiesner, Concerning the Spirituality in Art by Wassily Kandinsky

Recommended For:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/9/14

July 27, 2015June 9, 2014 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.

One Year Anniversary Celebration

We are gearing up for our one year anniversary (June 24th) and have a fun week planned with celebratory posts and giveaways! In honor of our anniversary, we redesigned the look of our blog. Because we are so excited, we couldn’t wait to share it with you all, so we are unveiling it a few weeks early! We hope you love it as much as we do. A big thank you to Philip Stetson for this beautiful design!

In preparation for our one year anniversary celebration, we would love to hear from our fellow bloggers! On June 25th, we are focusing on the power of blogging, and we would love to highlight other incredible reading/teaching blogs. If you would like your blog to be included in our post, please complete our survey:

WHY YOU BLOG SURVEY

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Dream Book Vacations

Wednesday and Thursday: Liebster Award (Parts One and Two)

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week, I finished Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and WOW is it a tough book, but one I highly recommend. You will not regret reading it.

Trent and I read an fun variety of books this week:

Finished Fly Guy Reader Collection 6 Easy-To-Read Stories by Tedd Arnold (Like I said last week, I love Fly Guy and was so happy to be introduced to him. This is sure to be a favorite!)
Good Night Tennessee by Adam Gamble (A great celebration of Tennessee!)
A is for Awesome by Dallas Clayton (I really like everything of Dallas Clayton’s that I have read. A great positive vibe runs through is books.)
Penguin in Love by Salina Yoon (Yay penguins! This one is just as cute as the other Penguin books.)
The Table Sets Itself by Ben Clanton (The puns and nursery rhyme allusions in this one are brilliant. Check it out!)
Everybody Likes You by Doris Faulhaber (This book was a novelty book given to my mom when she was 11, and it is just so sweet.)

Ricki: This week, I finished I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora. I highly recommend this book be paired with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It teaches young people that they can make a big difference in the world. I also read Boys of Blur by N. D. Wilson. It was intriguing, and I didn’t realize until halfway through the book that it is a contemporary take on the legend of Beowulf. I felt a bit foolish! After I figured this out, I was blown away by the parallels.

Henry and I finished Fairy Tale Comics (edited by Chris Duffy). Each comic is about two to six pages long, so there was great variety in story and artistry. We really enjoyed some of the comics but others fell a bit flat. Overall, I would recommend it, particularly for people who love graphic novels. We also read two classic:s The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. These both were good fun and worthy of their praise as classics. My cousin recommended Oh My Baby, Little One by Kathi Applet. The verse in this picture book is beautiful. It is a heartwarming tale that parents will love. I felt like hugging Henry after every page.

Our doctors’ office participates in a charity program called Reach Out and Read. At every well visit, Henry receives a book to read. I am extremely excited about this. His first book was Love You, Hug You, Read to You by Tish Rabe. While most of the books he will receive in future office visits are classics, this particular book was written specifically for the charity. It is a fun board book that promotes reading to children. I found the full version online if anyone wants to enjoy it, too!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently reading The Firehorse Girl and am truly enjoying it! Jade Moon is such a strong female protagonist, and I like that it is taking on a historical period that isn’t usually talked about. I also plan on reading Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka which I know is going to be super entertaining. With school out now, I hope to get a lot more reading done during my days. I am also finally going to read And Tango Makes Three which I have been meaning to read for years. As for me and Trent, who knows what we will read though I plan on reading some dad books for Father’s Day and maybe a birthday book since next Sunday is also my birthday 🙂

Ricki: Henry and I took a trip to the library, so we have plenty of picture books to devour. I also started A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd and Voices of the Sea by Bethany Masone Harar. In the professional development world, I started We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools. As you can see, I have started a trend that I like to read a book for every age level. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten We’ve Read So Far This Year

Friday: How to Cheer Up Dad Author Interview

So, what are you reading?

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