Kellee – Page 47 – Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 2/6/23

February 6, 2023 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Nonfiction Picture Book Round Up!: The Universe in You by Jason Chin; Of Walden Pond by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by Ashley Benham-Yazdani; Polar Bear by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann; We’re Not Weird by Michael Garland; & The Science of Light by Margaret Peot

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

Kellee

Here are my reading updates since January 9th:

Young Adult

Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon: I am so glad that this group of wonderful writers got together to make another book like Blackout. Though not a companion or sequel, it has the same feel–> a wonderful group of romances, all happening simultaneously in the most unlikely circumstances.
Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair, and The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson: Maureen Johnson is so tricky!! The first book sucks you in. You need to know how not only the current mystery is solved but also the mystery from the 1930s. You are following Stevie’s progress, all excited, and BAM! a “to be continued…” and guess what? Everything isn’t solved until book 3, but you have to read them all because you HAVE to know! What a great trilogy of books!
Promise Boys by Nick Brooks: WHOA! This book starts off with a literal bang because the very first thing you learn is about a murder and the 3 suspects. The rest of the book shares the points of view of the suspects and a bunch of different witnesses, all allowing the reader and the characters alike to work to figure out who the real killer is.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson: Holly Jackson did not disappoint me! The suspense in this book is palpable! What starts off as a fun cross country spring break road trip in an RV turns into an active shooter situation with a group of friends stuck together full of accusations. I mean, look at the title–there are 6 kids, but you know only 5 survive!
Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus: Karen McManus is another mystery writer that I can always count on. This story takes us with Brynn back to her old prep school where a teacher was found dead 4 years ago. Although the death was solved, Brynn thinks something is awry and uses this story to land a job at a true-crime show. The book then follow Brynn as she digs deeper into what happened to the teacher.
Demon Slayer Vol 1 & 2 by Koyoharu Gotouge: I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this series, but I really, really do! It almost seems like it could take place in a similar world as The Promised Neverland which is my favorite manga. I cannot wait to read more of the series to see Tanjiro Kamado grow as a demon slayer while also searching for answers.
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe: Nora grew up with a con-artist mom who would make her change her appearance, personality, back story, etc. every time they took on a new con. Now she is finally freed of her mom, but she finds herself stuck in the middle of a bank robbery where her past life will be a benefit. A wonderful mix of flash backs and current action lends itself to a book I couldn’t put down.

Middle Grade/School

Diper Överlöde by Jeff Kinney: This was a great addition to the DotWK series. It was nice to get a good Rodrick story.
Play Like a Girl by Misty Wilson, Illustrated by David Wilson: (We reviewed this book a couple of weeks ago.) All of you fans of Raina Telgemeier have another amazing memoir to add to your TBR pile!
Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #1: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland: Trent devoured this series, all 6 of them and is impatiently waiting for 7, and he really, really, really wanted me to read it, so I picked up #1 and was pleasantly surprised. Dragon stories are not my thing, but the mythology of this series is done really well, and I definitely can see why so many people love it.
Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham: This memoir graphic novel is almost a short story collection of different times in the authors life that led to who he was when he wrote the book. We follow him from a refugee camp to America to citizenship, all with a story filled with family, friendship, and food.
Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke: Ben Hatke is one of my go-to graphic novel writers because his books are so unique! Things in the Basement takes the legend of one sock disappearing and turns it into a whole adventure into a never-ending basement filled with mazes, creatures, and unlikely friends.
Lo and Behold by Wendy Mass, Illustrated by Gabi Mendez: Addie is just looking to be alone during her time with her dad at his summer job, but Mateo and her dad’s colleagues have a different idea which leads to Addie’s summer goals changing drastically! I loved the mix of sci-fi, empathy, art, and science all together in this story.
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat: This graphic novel memoir tells the story of Dan Santat’s trip to Europe when he was in middle school. Like the title leads you to assume, this trip is a time of a lot of firsts for Dan, so we get to explore Europe and Dan’s feelings throughout this book. Dan’s art does not disappoint, and we also learn a bit about his childhood art.
Leonard (My Life as a Cat) by Carlie Sorosiak: Leonard is not the sweet house cat that Olive thought she was rescuing in the middle of the storm–Leonard is an immortal being from outer space. This is Leonard’s story as he learns about Earth and what is all really means down here.

To learn more about any of these books, check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

It is Kellee’s week to post on IMWAYR; I’ll see you next week!

Kellee

Reading: Airi Sano, Prankmaster General #1: New School Skirmish by Zoe Tokushige, Illustrated by Jennifer Naalchigar
Listening: Undercover Latina by Aya De León
Listening with Trent: The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Illustrated by Isabelle Follath

Tuesday: Educators’ Guide for Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

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!

and

Nonfiction Picture Book Round Up!: The Universe in You by Jason Chin; Of Walden Pond by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by Ashley Benham-Yazdani; Polar Bear by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann; We’re Not Weird by Michael Garland; & The Science of Light by Margaret Peot

January 31, 2023 by Kellee

The Universe in You: A Microscopic Journey
Author & Illustrator: Jason Chin
Published October 18th, 2022

Summary: Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin’s companion book to the award-winning Your Place in the Universe explores the world of the very small, delving deep into the microscopic world just beneath our skin.

From Jason Chin, Caldecott Medalist for Watercress and Cook Prize winning author and illustrator of Your Place in the Universe comes The Universe in You: A Microscopic Journey, a companion book about the very small, from the tiniest mammals to the intricate structures of microscopic organisms and subatomic particles that make up every human body. This deep dive into an unseen world explores the building blocks of all matter and life, demonstrating how much we have in common with everything around us.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Title
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Review & Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Jason Chin does it again: combining impeccable illustrations with science to take the reader into the microscopic world within our universe. Chin is such a master at bringing the reader into whatever world he has decided to explore and share with us. His writing is thorough and interesting, his illustrations are detailed and labeled, and the book together is definitely the journey he promises.

Educator Guide Available HERE!

Discussion Questions:

What is so special about the structure of the book? Why do you think the author set the structure up this way?
What is the smallest thing in the universe? How do these small particles impact us?
How does the author make this nonfiction book like a journey?

Flagged Passages:

Recommended For:

Of Walden Pond: Henry David Thoreau, Frederic Tudor, and the Pond Between
Author: Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrator: Ashley Benham-Yazdani
Published November 15th, 2022 by Holiday House

Summary: From the award-winning author of Before She Was Harriet comes another work of lyrical beauty, the story of Henry David Thoreau and businessman Frederic Tudor–and a changing world.

Thoreau and Tudor could not have been more different from each other. Yet both shared the bounties of Walden Pond and would change the course of history through their writings and innovations.

This study in opposites contrasts the austere philosopher with the consummate capitalist (whose innovations would change commercial ice harvesting and home refrigerators) to show how two seemingly conflicting American legacies could be built side by side.

Oddball/ tax dodger/ nature lover/ dreamer/ That’s what they called/ Thoreau.
Bankrupt/ disgrace/ good for nothing/ dreamer/ That’s what they called/ Tudor.

Celebrated author Lesa Cline-Ransome takes her magnificent talent for research and detail to plumb the depths of these two history-makers. The graceful text is paired with Ashley Benham-Yazdani’s period accurate watercolor and pencil artwork. In winter, readers see Tudor’s men sawing through the ice, the workhorses dragging the ice, and Thoreau observing it all; in spring, summer, and fall, the ice continues its journey across the globe with Thoreau and Tudor writing and reflecting in their respective diaries.

An Author’s Note, which explores how Thoreau’s writings influenced such figures as Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Frost, and Mohandas Gandhi, is included.

Review & Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Lesa Cline-Ransome introduces us to another aspect of Walden Pond that Thoreau fans may not know about: Tudor’s industrial side of the pond. Cline Ransome’s verse shows us the contrast between the two lives that are tied together by the pond that they both loved, for very different reasons. Beautifully written with rhythm that yells for it to be read aloud.

Benham-Yazdani’s “period accurate watercolor” reminds me of Grandma Moses which is perfect for this story!

Educator Guide Available HERE!

Discussion Questions:

What does the different fascinations with the pond show you about the two men?
Why do you think the author chose to write the book in verse separated by seasons?
What did you learn about the past of ice that surprised you?

Flagged Passages:

Recommended For:

Polar Bear
Author: Candace Fleming
Illustrator: Eric Rohmann
Published November 22nd, 2022 by Holiday House

Summary: This companion book to the authors’ Sibert award-winning Honeybee explores the life and habitat of a majestic endangered species through dramatic text and sumptuous illustration.

April in the Arctic . . .
Cold winds send snow clouds scuttling across the sky.
Temperatures barely nudge above freezing.
But every now and again,
The cloud cover parts,
The sun shines down,
And the frozen world stretches awake.

As spring approaches in the Arctic, a mother polar bear and her two cubs tentatively emerge from hibernation to explore the changing landscape. When it is time, she takes her cubs on a forty-mile journey, back to their home on the ice. Along the way, she fends off wolves, hunts for food, and swims miles and miles.

This companion book to Honeybee and Giant Squid features the unique talents of Fleming and Rohmann on a perennially popular subject. Eric Rohmann’s magnificent oil paintings feature (as in Honeybee) a spectacular gatefold of the polar landscape.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Review & Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Candace Fleming’s beautiful verse introduces us to the polar bear and all of the trials and tribulations she faces with her cubs in the Arctic. Within the narrative, we learn so much information about them and their habitat. The verse adds an extra poetic element to the book that just brings it to the next leve.

Add to that Rohmann’s illustrations, and this stunning picture book sucks in the reader through word and pictures. Backmatter adds even more information through shared research and fun facts.

Educator Guide Available HERE!

Discussion Questions:

Why do you think that author chose to write the book in verse?
What does the gatefold add to the experience of reading Polar Bear?
What are the biggest threats to polar bears?
Why does the back matter include the statement “I’s All About the Ice?”

Flagged Passages:

Recommended For:

We’re Not Weird: Structure and Function in the Animal Kingdom
Author & Illustrator: Michael Garland
Published January 3rd, 2023 by Holiday House

Summary: Meet nature’s most extraordinary looking creatures. But they aren’t weird!

Birds with blue feet, fish that walk, unicorns in the sea, and more! Learn how these animals’ quirks help them survive. Perfect for budding naturalists who are always ready to share a cool (or gross) animal fact.

Very hard scales protect me, and my long tongue is perfect for eating ants. When I feel threatened, I roll myself into a ball. I am a Pangolin.

See these animals’ amazing body parts in vibrant and detailed woodcut illustrations, from the thorny dragon’s spiky skin to the star-nosed mole’s twenty-two feelers. Read how these creatures’ unique traits help them thrive and survive in their environments. Learn where they live, what they eat, how they protect themselves, and more.

With easy-to-read text vetted by an expert, this book aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards on adaptation, structure, and function for kindergarten through 3rd grade. With supplementary information on each animal’s habitat and diet.

Review: This book introduces the reader to so many different unique animals (20 of them!), featuring what makes them different than others. The text in the book is written in 1st person with interesting facts and an introduction to the animal. Additional info on each animal is on in the back matter giving even more information about the animal including their habitat and diet.

Discussion Questions:

Which of the animals would you like to learn more about? Why?
Choose your own animal to research and write an introduction, in 1st person, highlighting the animal’s uniqueness and interesting facts.
What is similar about all of the animals’ unique features?

Flagged Passages:

Recommended For:

The Science of Light: Things that Shine, Flash, and Glow
Author & Illustrator: Margaret Peot
Published December 6th, 2022 by Holiday House

Summary: With a striking glow-in-the-dark cover, this intriguing science book invites young readers to find light all around.

Sun shines.
Stars twinkle.
Aurora borealis glimmers.

Dramatic paintings of lightning, fire, fireworks and more introduces the sources of light–both natural and manmade–and encourage children to look around and observe.

Kids will gasp in surprise at the beautiful glow-in-the-dark cover, and the bold spreads within. Margaret Peot’s distinctive art style captures the elusive nature of light. Bioluminescent squid, fireflies and phytoplankton reveal light sources in living things. Fireworks and light bubbles sparkle on the page.

This foundational science book will kindle curiosity in physical science and the natural world. The simple text makes science accessible to all ages.

Toddlers will delight in the colorful art at storytime. As they grow, kids will return to this nonfiction favorite and discover new ideas each time. Science vocabulary and definitions are included in the back of the book.

An Orbis Pictus Honor Book

Review: This beautifully illustrated book with sparse text gives an introduction to light in science including natural sources of light, bioluminescence, and artificial light. All of the animals, nature, and items in the book are tied together by the light that they make.

The author’s backmatter adds even more depth to the text by sharing more information on the different types of light, a bibliography, and websites to learn more.

Discussion Questions:

What are the differences between the three types of light shared in the book?
Which of the types fascinates you the most?
How does bioluminescence work?

Flagged Passages:

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Sara at Holiday House for providing copies for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 1/23/23

January 23, 2023 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Everybody Counts! by Matt Esenwine, Illustrated by Emma Graham

Thursday: Play Like a Girl: A Graphic Memoir by Misty Wilson, Illustrated by David Wilson

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

Kellee

This is my week to post, but the weekend got away from me–I’m sorry!

To learn more about any of these books, check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I’ll see you next week.

Thursday: Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

and

Everybody Counts! by Matt Forrest Esenwine, Illustrated by Emma Graham

January 17, 2023 by Kellee

Everybody Counts!
Author: Matt Forrest Esenwine
Illustrator: Emma Graham
Published January 1st, 2023 by Little Fig

Summary: “Everyone is helpful, in large and small amounts. Everybody matters. Everybody counts!”

So begins Everybody Counts!, a creative foreign-language counting picture book. Get a taste of diversity as you explore this far-reaching festival of food and count your way to a full plate of fun.

Everybody Counts! makes learning numbers fun as young ones discover new foods and languages from around the world. Explore favorite foods from twelve countries. Illustrations highlight the animals and numerical symbols that represent each country.

Review: Esenwine’s Everybody Counts shows the ties between us all as it counts through 12 different languages along with animals from that country sharing now only the language with us but also food and culture of each country. Each spread is so thoughtfully created with colorful illustrations of each animal and their favorite food fill the spread.

Learn more about the book and its creation at Matt Forrest Esenwine’s Cover Reveal Blog Post.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Everybody Counts is created for the classroom with opportunities to learn different languages as well as a guide to share each students’ favorite food and more!

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Love: Counting books, Books about food, Books about different countries

Recommended For:

**Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!!**

Author Guest Post: “Using Fiction to Understand and Enrich Non-Fiction” by Kimberly Behre Kenna, Author of Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade

January 15, 2023 by Kellee

“Using Fiction to Understand and Enrich Non-Fiction”

When I was a young student, I found history boring. Back then, it required lots of memorization and comprehension of readings that felt flat to me, dry as the age-old dust they were steeped in. Years later, a gifted teacher flipped the switch—she introduced the personal stories behind historical figures and events and BAM! I was hooked. Learning about Hatshepsut’s struggles as one of the few female Egyptian pharaohs, or Wangari Maathai’s crusade to teach African women to plant trees and claim their independence and power, excited me and provoked lots of questions. I imagined what it’d be like to be those women and face those challenges. This led me to research more and to care more, which then led to greater retention of concepts and the desire and ability to share them with others.

As a fifth-grade teacher, I sought ways for my students to step into the shoes of others so they too could attempt to feel some of the pain, passion, and motivation of historic figures. In my classroom, we did this through writing projects, dramatic interpretations, and culminating performances. For instance, during our exploration of ecology, we read picture book biographies of environmentalists, including those who were not scientists. How did Pete Seeger’s singing and songwriting impact the Hudson River? Simon Rodia built the Watts Towers in Los Angeles from recyclables. How did he do this when he didn’t speak English? We cast a broad net so students could see that the preservation and rehabilitation of the natural world could be approached in many ways, and, most importantly, it could include them.

As we examined local problems affecting Long Island Sound, we wondered how environmentalists from the past might attempt to solve them. Each student chose one environmentalist and wrote a monologue which they presented to the rest of the class in costume, using props to introduce themselves. Students also took part in a popular activity called History Speaks, a mock talk show that got kids to think more deeply about what motivated these environmentalists. As host, I facilitated a conversation between the “guests,” students impersonating ecologists, and the audience of other students who asked them questions. Why did MaVynee Betsch give up her career in opera to save American Beach in Florida from development, even when she got so sick she couldn’t eat? How did Chico Mendes stay brave in the face of his attackers as he worked to protect the rainforests in Brazil? Kids learned how to craft deep interview questions. Those representing the ecologists had to think on their feet, often answering them by extrapolating from facts that they already knew. Sometimes their answers or their body language caused the audience (or host!) to debate whether they spoke the truth, another useful discussion when it comes to teaching how to research. This seemingly simple, playful activity encouraged critical thinking and active listening.

The resurrected ecologists also participated in a roundtable discussion to brainstorm a list of creative ways that they, as a team, could alleviate one of Long Island Sound’s problems. They experimented with combining strategies used in the past with newer present day ideas. Could George Washington Carver’s ideas about soil conservation possibly apply to saving Connecticut’s shoreline? How would he and Jacques Cousteau interact as team members? Finally, using notes gathered from all these activities, students wrote stories about resurrected dead ecologists who helped confused modern day activists solve problems around Long Island Sound and shared them with younger students. Other times, groups wrote a story as a script, built props, and then performed it for an audience. With their deep research into the history of environmentalism, students armed themselves with enough knowledge to become passionate environmental activists themselves.

Using the imagination to extrapolate on what we know as fact is a fun and enlightening practice that promotes rich discussion, enhances the development of empathy, and allows kids to practice ways of assessing “the truth.” The strategies that I used in my classroom and the memories of my explorations with students were the seeds for my middle-grade novel, Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade, whose protagonist conjures up ghosts of environmentalists to help her save her beloved salt marsh sanctuary. I hope readers gain respect for the legacies we’ve been gifted by those who are no longer with us and are inspired to consider how their own legacy can be a gift to future generations.

Published February 2, 2023 by Fitzroy Books

About the Book: When Artemis Sparke has had it with humans, she heads to the nearby salt marsh to hang out with the birds, plants and mollusks who don’t make a big deal of her stutter. The shoreline sanctuary is predictable, unlike her family and friends, and the data in her science journal proves it. But one day that data goes haywire, and her bird friend RT confirms it: the salt marsh is dying. Artemis discovers that the historic hotel where she lives with her mom may be part of the problem, but speaking up would mean confronting the cranky hotel owner who happens to be her mom’s boyfriend and boss. Artemis conjures up help from deceased ecologists, and as she works to untangle their clues, she finds family secrets that could be the key to saving the salt marsh. An empowering read about the importance of finding your voice, “Artemis Sparke” will strike a chord with kid activists everywhere.

About the Author: After years as an adolescent and family counselor, and then as a fifth grade teacher of ecology and language arts, Kimberly Behre Kenna returned to school for her MA in creative writing from Wilkes University. Her middle-grade novel, “Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade” was a finalist and received Honorable Mention in the 2019 Tassy Walden New Voices in Children’s Literature Competition, and will be published by Fitzroy Books in 2023. Another book in her Brave Girl Collection, “Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm” is forthcoming from Black Rose Publishing. A third in the collection, as yet unpublished, won second place in The Institute of Children’s Literature 2022 MG Mystery First Pages Contest. Her poems and short stories have been published in American Writers Review, Mused, Plumtree Tavern, and Rubbertop Review. Her full-length play, “Ana’s Hummingbird,” was given a staged reading at The Dramatists Guild in NYC. She’s a member of SCBWI and PEN America, and now devotes herself to writing full time. Connect with her at www.kimberlybehrekenna.com

Thank you, Kimberly, for this great post showing that connection between fiction & non-fiction!

You So Black by Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D., Illustrated by London Ladd

January 10, 2023 by Kellee

You So Black
Author: Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.
Illustrator: London Ladd
Published January 10, 2023 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary: Based on Theresa Wilson’s (a.k.a. Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.’s) beautiful, viral spoken word poem of the same name, You So Black is a picture book celebration of the richness, the nuance, and the joy of Blackness.

Black is everywhere, and in everything, and in everyone—in the night sky and the fertile soil below. It’s in familial connections and invention, in hands lifted in praise and voices lifted in protest, and in hearts wide open and filled with love. Black is good.

Accompanied by powerful yet tender illustrations by award-winning illustrator London Ladd, Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. has adapted her poem, full of gorgeous lyricism and imagery, to show readers the love, joy, resilience, and universality in the beauty of Blackness.

About the Creators:

Theresa Wilson a.k.a. Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. is a musical, lyrical and theatrical alchemist, sprinkling magic like hot sauce. She is best known for her appearance on the 2019 Trumpet Awards on Bounce TV, and the now viral recitation of “You So Black.” Theresa is from the south suburbs of Chicago but calls Atlanta home. She holds a degree in commercial music from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

London Ladd is a graduate of Syracuse University with an MFA in illustration. He uses a unique mixed media approach, combining cut paper textured with acrylic paint, tissue paper and colored pencil to bring his diverse subjects to life. London’s artwork is steeped in intensity and emotion, a reflection of the artist himself. His hope is that You So Black will be passed down through generations, reaffirming African Americans’ strength, beauty, power and love. His goal is to open a visual arts community center where lower-income families can create their own art. London lives in Syracuse, New York.

Review: This celebration of blackness is beautifully written and is made to be read out loud. The verse, combined with London Ladd’s dynamic yet warm collages, come together to create a book that shows the beauty, resilience, and brilliance of blackness. The author takes a “historically charged insult” and takes back the ownership and shows how “You So Black” is something to be proud of and in love with.

Essential reading: The interview with the creators at KidLit in Color!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This beautiful picture book definitely belongs on the shelves of everywhere that students who need it can find it.

However, I also picture it being used to introduce spoken word poetry. The picture book in conjunction with the original spoken word poem can be used together and start conversations about rhythm, rhyme, articulation, prosody, etc. as well as other poetic elements like figurative language, specifically similes, and imagery.

Also, in conjunction with the interview linked below, it would lend itself to a great conversation about author’s purpose with evidence from the interview.

Flagged Passages:

Original Spoken Word Poem:

Read This If You Love: Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o & Vashti Harrison, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut and I am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes & Gordon C. James, The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson & Rafael López, All Because You Matter and We Are Here by Tami Charles & Bryan Collier, I am Enough and I Believe I Can by Grace Byers & Keturah A. Bobo

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing a copy for review!!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 1/9/23

January 13, 2023January 9, 2023 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Kellee’s 2022 Reading Recap, Favorite Reads, #MustReadin2022 Update, & #MustReadin2023!

Thursday: K is for Kindness by Rina Horiuchi, Illustrated by Risa Horiuchi

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Lydia Lukidis, Author of Deep, Deep Down

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

Kellee

I haven’t updated since early December 5th, so I have quite a few books to share with you!

Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park #Notyourprincess by Lisa Charleyboy Randoms by David Liss

That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger: I’ve been meaning to read this book for years, and I am so happy to have finally gotten to it. It was a tough read, as an educator, but I think it is also important to think about how victims keep living and having to determine how to live as their new self. Keplinger wrote a book that sucked me in and kept me reading.
Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker Rhodes: This book was so suspenseful! I held my breath so many times during the story as I didn’t know how the characters were going to survive.
Rain is not my Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith: I’m so glad that Heartdrum Press republished this book of Smith’s as I did not have it on my radar, and I truly loved it. It was such an emotional book, looking at grief and trauma, but also a heart-filling story, showing how to survive after a loss and how your passions can help with your healing.
Rebound by Kwame Alexander: I do not know what took me so long to read this story of Chuck Bell, the Crossover twins’ dad. This book shows us how the amazing father Chuck was came to be.
Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun by Hena Khan: What a fun early middle grade novel from Hena Khan!!! Zara has a set group of neighborhood fans, so when a new family moves in, Zara has to figure out how to keep everything as wonderful as it always has been.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff: Illuminae is an epic sci-fi novel if there ever was one! The text structure of this novel is so unique, and I really liked it. It is filled with transcripts, maps, medial reports, emails, and more to tell the story. Very clever!
Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban: Francie loves Christmas, and especially the nostalgic Christmas magic that her grandpa spread through his Hollydale Holiday Shop and Santa School. But her grandpa died and now her aunt is in charge and wants to change it all; Francie is fighting to make sure that doesn’t happen. All while also trying to connect with the cute boy that works at the tree lot.
The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park: This Christmas book is filled with holiday cheer but also community activism, friendship, and family!
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Woman edited by Lisa Charleyboy: This powerful book is filled with Native American women’s voices screaming out with their stories, poetry, and reflections.
Randoms by David Liss: Another great sci-fi book that I am so glad that I finally read. Zeke is a sci-fi fan who finds himself on a space adventure with aliens in hopes of forming an alliance. The book is filled with humor and action that keeps the reader wanting to read, read, read!

A Man and his Cat Vol 2 through 7 by Umi Sakurai: This is one of Trent’s favorite mangas, so when he finished, he handed me the pile and said, “Read.” It is a fun story that is deeper than just the title suggest, but also just as sweet as it does.

The Gorillaz Art Book & Gorillaz: Rise of the Ogre: Gorillaz are reigning in my house right now. Trent and I went to see them in October and since then, he listens to them very often, so my big gift I gave to him was the Gorillaz Art Book, which is a book with 40+ artist’s interpretations of the band. I also decided to read Rise of the Ogre which is a fictionalized story of the band and its beginnings.

I also read a TON of picture books! I had a pile from publishers to read, and I loved all of the following (click on the image to read about the book)!