July 2015 – Unleashing Readers

Reading Workshop 2.0 by Frank Serafini

April 22, 2023July 31, 2015 by Kellee

Reading Workshop 2.0
Author: Frank Serafini
Published March 26th, 2015 by Heinemann Educational Books

Goodreads Summary: As reading teachers, how do we deal with the massive shifts that digital literacy is creating? We can’t abandon what we know works to keep up with the latest online-literacy fads. Yet, we need to prepare readers for a world of digital content. Reading Workshop 2.0 gives us teaching that puts reading for meaning first while also balancing the need for kids to become sophisticated users of books as well as online reading resources.

“This book,” writes Frank Serafini, “is designed to help teachers organize their reading workshops in order to take advantage of the latest technologies.” With his guidance, you’ll bring more digital reading into your teaching without sacrificing sound instructional principles or practices. Reading print shares four essential processes with digital reading: accessing and navigating; archiving and sharing; commenting and discussing; and interpreting and analyzing.

Frank introduces important, well-established digitally based resources that further these processes, while his lesson ideas transfer learning from classroom to real-world digital reading.

“If it doesn’t help children develop as readers,” writes Frank Serafini, “it doesn’t matter how shiny the new object is.” With Reading Workshop 2.0, you’ll help students with print while also helping them use online resources and technologies as they are intended-to make sense of texts more deeply, effectively, and efficiently.

My Thoughts: When I read a professional text, I hope that it is a perfect mix of theory and practical practices so that not only do I understand the WHY and WHAT but also the HOW. This book does just that. Part One of the text deals with the foundations of reading workshop. Dr. Serafini shares a brief overview of what can be found in his initial book about workshop, The Reading Workshop: Creating Space for Readers, including the “Ten Theoretical Principles About Teaching Reading,” “Pedagogical Strands” of reading workshop, and “Instructional Components of the Reading Workshop.” As I haven’t read any other texts by Dr. Serafini, I loved this overview (this will be fixed soon though as I have now bought 4 others books by him!). Throughout this part of the book, I found myself thinking, “YES!” and wanting to go share what I was reading with every teacher I knew. He writes about much of what I stand for when it comes to teaching reading.

Part two jumps into the 2.0 part of the text. He breaks up this part into four processes that should be added to reading workshop to move it into the digital age: “Accessing and Navigating Digital Texts,” “Archiving and Sharing Our Reading Lives,” “Commenting on and Discussing Digital Texts,” and “Interpreting and Analyzing Digital Texts.” He stresses throughout that this isn’t instead of reading workshop, this is along with. Students must get familiar with digital texts, so our workshops really need to move to 2.0. Within each chapter on a process, he gives information, resources, and explicit lessons for teaching the process. So informative and practical.

Loved this expansion on the traditional reading workshop. Filled with theory, resources, and practical practices, this PD text was very beneficial!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Dr. Serafini has “Resources for Supporting Readers in the Digital Age” on his website that he will update regularly.

We Flagged: There is so much highlighting and underlining in my text that it is hard to choose what to share, but one of my favorite foundational things that was said was:

“Time is the second dimension of the opportunity strand–time to read, time to share ideas, time to wonder, and time to explore new texts. We cannot master something we don’t dedicate our time to, it’s that simple.”

Dr. Serafini joined #rwworkshop (reading/writing workshop) chat on August 5th, and really gave us great insight into his text and moving reading workshop to the digital era. Check out the archive at the #rwworkshop wiki http://rwworkshop.wikispaces.com.

Read This If You Loved: Other texts by Dr. Frank Serafini, Nancie Atwell texts, The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller, Book Love by Penny Kittle,

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

July 31, 2015July 30, 2015 by Ricki

Circus Mirandus
Author: Cassie Beasley
Published January 1, 2015 by Dial

Goodreads Summary:
Do you believe in magic?
Micah Tuttle does.

Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather.

The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn’t want to keep his promise. And now it’s up to Micah to get the miracle he came for.

Ricki’s Review: I was only a few pages in when I knew this book would be special. I was captivated by the beautifully described setting and the words that seemed to dance off the pages. This book is about magic, but the writing is quite magical in itself. I usually give my ARCs away, but I am hanging on to this copy because I plan to read it to my son when he is a bit older. I’ll likely buy another copy because I am eager to see the illustrations! I suspect that this text will create lifelong readers. It belongs in every classroom in America. Circus Mirandus is the kind of book that takes you to another world—one that will stay in your heart forever.

Kellee’s Review: I liked Circus Mirandus from the very beginning, but as soon as the circus officially enters he story, the magic just engulfs you. I think it is the Lightbender that makes the story. He is a mystery, but also the person that I feel like I connected with the most. I truly feel that he is what makes this book as magical as it is. I also really liked Jenny. Jenny represents the main stream (which is odd to say because Jenny is a little bit odd), but Jenny has already moved past magic and is so straight forward. Convincing her to believe in anything past what she sees and knows was such a challenge for Micah. (But she is such a great friend!)

One of the things I really liked about the text is the theme of helping kids stay kids for as long as possible. Circus Mirandus is around to help keep the magic of childhood alive. That is something I can believe in!

Circus Mirandus was my informal Twitter book club’s choice for July, and I loved chatting with them about the book (and Ricki joined us this time!). To see the archive of our chat, you can view it here. (Warning: There are spoilers for the book in the chat.)
Some of my favorite quotes from the chat were:

“I loved that Jenny was willing to go along on the journey even if she had trouble believing.” -Alyson Beecher

–“Yes! That is what made me love her. She was willing to support her friend.” -Kellee Moye

–“And Jenny needed a friend, found something in herself that “might” want to believe, too?” -Linda Baie

–“I love how great Jenny and Micah are for each other…helping each other find courage and comfort.” -Beth Sanderson

“It was interesting that the light bender just dismissed G., rather as we all should dismiss evil people.” -Linda Baie

“I loved the relationship between Micah and Gpa. He had so many words of wisdom to prepare Micah.” -Leigh Anne Eck

–“The wonderful relationship between Micah and his Grandpa is what I will remember the most about this book.” -Cynthia Alaniz

“I don’t think we should hide kids from life truths like death. Kids need to be taught healthy ways to grieve.” -Ricki Ginsberg

“The artwork is special! It is interesting to read the Ch then look at the art & find the reasoning behind the art.” -Kellee Moye

–“Yes! There is something special when physical aesthetic of book matches aesthetic of the language.” -Christy Rush-Levine

Favorite quotes shared from the book:

“Because when you try too hard to hold on to something, you break it.”

“Who you are is more than good enough.”

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book naturally lends itself to a creative project. I would love to have students work together to design their own circus. Perhaps each student could be in charge of designing a different section of the circus and writing about it. For example, one student might be in charge of writing the opening speech for a circus act; another student could be in charge of writing a newspaper article about the events; another student might be in charge of writing to the mayor to ask permission to use a field for the circus. I’d allow students to generate their own ideas, so they can take ownership of their work.

However, the best place that this book could end up is in as many kids’ hands as possible! It deserves to be read and read widely.

Discussion Questions: What is Jenny’s role in the novel? How does she add to the story?; Do you think you would believe in the circus? Why or why not?; Which characters showed bravery? Why or why not?; What role does fantasy play in this text? How would it be different if it was a work of realistic fiction?

We Flagged: “You never need an invitation to go home.”

Read This If You Loved: Books by Roald Dahl, A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd, Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, Big Fish by Daniel Wallace, Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Penguin for providing copies for review!**

I Am Lucille Ball by Brad Meltzer

August 3, 2015July 29, 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!

I Am Lucille Ball
Author: Brad Meltzer
Illustrator: Christopher Eliopoulos
Published July 14th, 2015

Goodreads Summary: “Kids always search for heroes, so we might as well have a say in it,” Brad Meltzer realized, and so he envisioned this friendly, fun approach to biography—for his own kids, and for yours. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in a vivacious, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, those who aren’t quite ready for the Who Was biography series. Each book focuses on a particular character trait that made that role model heroic. For example, Lucille Ball could make any situation funny. By making people around the world laugh, she proved that humor can take on anything.

This engaging series is the perfect way to bring American history to life for young children, providing them with the right role models, supplementing Common Core learning in the classroom, and best of all, inspiring them to strive and dream.

My Review: The first “Ordinary People Change the World” book I read was I am Jackie Robinson, and I immediately loved the way the book was set up. I am Lucille Ball is the same way. Like I stated in my review of Jackie Robinson, I love that it is in first person which sucks the reader into Lucy’s life. The series is also a picture book/graphic novel mix which not only adds to the engagement aspect of the book, I think it really makes you feel like you know the subject more. It also is where Meltzer puts some of his funniest parts of the story.

The reason why I knew I had to review this book, though, was because of the subject matter. All of the other subjects of the books in the series (Lincoln, Parks, Einstein, Earhart, and Robinson) are pretty well-known amazing people although they did all start out with quite ordinary lives. Lucille Ball deserves to be talked about along with them though many do not know that she does. I love that Meltzer decided to tackle a story about someone that not everyone may understand why he chose her. Brad Meltzer addressed this on his Facebook page:

“To my surprise, some have asked: Why Lucy? So let me explain: I wrote this book because I wanted my daughter to finally have a female entertainment hero who wasn’t famous just because she was thin and known only for her looks. Lucy is different than everyone else. She’s funny, driven, and the first woman to run a major movie studio (producing Star Trek and Mission: Impossible). Her success came from her drive — and because she so perfectly wasn’t like everyone else. Plus she taught me, throughout my own childhood, that humor can take on anything. I wanted my daughter to learn that.

But in terms of Lucy and Ethel crazy ideas, here’s my most Lucy and Ethel-ish. Share this book with someone who’s different. Share it with little girls and boys, as well as big girls and boys. Show them that it’s not just okay to be different…it’s SPECTACULAR to be different.”

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The “Ordinary People” books definitely need to be in classrooms. They are going to be loved by students. However, I think Meltzer’s subjects are definitely worth looking at. I see them being used in a lit circle where each group gets a different one of Meltzer’s books then after reading and discussing the books, they share what they learned about their Ordinary Person.

It would also be so much fun to use Meltzer’s books as a mentor text to writing their own Ordinary People picture book. A fun twist on a research project!

More information on I am Lucille Ball can be found here.

Discussion Questions: What made Lucille Ball a standout in the entertainment industry?; How did Lucille Ball pave the way for comediennes like Melissa McCarthy and others? How does Meltzer’s mix of picture book/graphic novel help make the book more enjoyable to read yet still informative?

We Flagged:

look_ball1 — From http://ordinarypeoplechangetheworld.com/lucille_ball.php

Interview with Brad Meltzer about I am Lucille Ball: https://youtu.be/OHK5uOiRBto

Read This If You Loved: “Ordinary People Change the World” (series) by Brad Meltzer, “Who Was…” (biography series) by various

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Penguin for providing a copy for review!!**

Special Announcement!: Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King Wins the 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award

July 28, 2015 by Kellee

I [Kellee] am excited to announce this year’s winner! The deliberations to narrow down all of the titles we received to these top five then to the top one were so intense because many of the titles we received were worthy of being honored; however, I really believe we came up with the best. This announcement is bittersweet as it is my final one on the committee, but I will definitely continue working with and promoting the Walden Award because of its focus on things I believe in: literary merit, positive approach to life, and widespread appeal.

Congratulations to A.S. King and Little, Brown!

2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Winner & Finalists Announced

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the finalists for the 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for the sum of $5,000 to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.

The 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award winner is:

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

The 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award finalists are:

Diamond Boy by Michael Williams

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Cinco Puntos Press

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Penguin Young Readers Group

Revolution (The Sixties Trilogy) by Deborah Wiles

Scholastic Press

All Walden Award titles will be identified by an award sticker—gold for the winner and silver for the four finalists. The winning title and finalists will be honored on at the 2015 ALAN Workshop on Monday, November 23rd at 4:25pm in Minneapolis, MN, and authors will be invited to participate in a panel discussion.

The 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee would like to thank: the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Foundation, the ALAN Executive Council, the ALAN Board of Directors, NCTE, and the thirty-six publishers who submitted titles for consideration.

The 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee considered nearly 300 young adult titles throughout the process. The committee was comprised of eleven members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities. They are:

2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee

Lois Stover, Committee Chair
Dean – School of Education and Human Services
Marymount University, Arlington, VA

Kellee Moye, Past Committee Chair
Teacher/Reading Coach
Hunter’s Creek Middle School, Orlando, FL

Cathy Blackler
English/Journalism Teacher
Santana Alternative High School, La Puente, CA

Nancy J. Johnson
Professor, Children’s/YA Literature and English/Language Arts Education
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

Sara Kajder
Assistant Professor English Education
University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Mark Letcher
Assistant Professor English Education
Lewis University, Romeoville, IL

Joellen Maples
Associate Professor, Graduate Literacy Program
St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY

Suzanne Metcalfe
Librarian
Dimond High School, Anchorage, Alaska

Beth Scanlon
Teacher
Cypress Creek High School, Orlando, FL

Lisa Scherff
English Teacher
Cypress Lake High School, Fort Myers, FL

Jessica Lorentz Smith
Librarian
Bend Senior High School, Bend, OR

For more information on the award, please visit ALAN Online: The Official Site of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents http://www.alan-ya.org/

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Top Ten Tuesday: Fellow Book Nerd Characters We Love

July 28, 2015 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Fellow Book Nerd Characters We Love

Because they remind us of our book-obsessed selves, of course!

Ricki

1. Liesel Merminger from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

She is so young, but yet, she steals books. She can’t resist them! I love this girl.

2. Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Scout says, “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

3. A. J. Fikry from The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

This grumpy man stole my heart.

4. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

I am not a huge Harry Potter fan, but I am a huge Hermione fan. She reminds me of me!

5. Francie Nolan from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Francie said that “the world was hers for the reading.” I will never forget the scene where she reads in the fire escape.

Kellee

1. Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda was the first book nerd I ever encountered in a book, and I loved her! I wanted to be as smart as her, and I wanted to hang out with her.

2. Josie from Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Josie lives and works in a bookstore and dreams of a college education. She is a book nerd in a place where they aren’t appreciated, and I adored her for that.

3. Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a fangirl (hence the name of the book). She loves Simon Snow, a character in a book series, and spends most of her time writing fanfiction about Simon and visiting Simon Snow forums. She may even be more of a book nerd than I am.

4. The Gorilla from Look! by Jeff Mack

This poor gorilla just wants to read a book. Hopefully the boy will appease him!

5. Miss Brooks from Miss Brooks Loves Books! (And I Don’t) by Barbara Bottner

I want to teach with Miss Brooks! This book celebrates librarians and books and shows the impact of a book loving librarian on students.

Who are your favorite book nerds?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 7/27/15

July 27, 2015July 27, 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

Tuesday: Ten (+ Two) Books That Celebrate LGBTQ Characters

Tuesday: Special Announcement! 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Finalists

Thursday: Civil Rights Text Set/Reading Ladder

Friday: Kellee’s Recently Read Picture Books: Penguin Young Reader Group

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I was reminded of something this week: when I am reading to learn, I read much slower than for pleasure (I’m feeling for you Ricki!) even though I love it just as much. I read Dr. Frank Serafini’s newest book Reading Workshop 2.0 which is about adding digital tools to the reading workshop. I enjoyed, devoured, and tried to suck in every word. I will be reviewing it on Friday. I read the book in preparation for the August Twitter #rwworkshop chat which will feature Dr. Serafini–I am so excited! We would love if you read the book and joined us (or even join us if you haven’t read the book!).

I read two really great, but different, graphic novels. First, Sunny Side Up by Jenni and Matthew Holm. I read it for myself, but also in prep for one of my NCTE presentations. I plan on doing a post on all of my books for that presentation in November, so I look forward to sharing it with you; however, I will say it is a must read. I also read Teen Boat! The Race for Boatlantis by Dave Roman. It is the second book in the Teen Boat series. My students, and I, loved the first book, and this one is just as good as the first! I loved the new adventures of TB! (Thank you NetGalley!)

With Trent, I read four board books this week: The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! by Mo Willems, Where is Elmo’s Blanket? by Nancy Stevenson, Baby Animals: In the Wild by Kingfisher, and Skinnyjon Jones: Up and Down by Judy Schachner. Trent is really loving anything about trains/cars/trucks, animals, or Elmo, so these books were right up his alley!

Ricki: My dissertation proposal is due at the end of August, so I’ve been reading a lot of theory. I just finished Ideas by Edmund Husserl and Phenomenological Research Methods by Clark Moustakas. So that took a good chunk of my week. Henry and I read Your Alien by Tammi Sauer. It is a cute picture book about a boy who discovers an alien. After a few days together, the alien gets a bit homesick. I promise I am going to get more interesting soon.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I, like Ricki, plan on reading Cold War on Maplewood Street by Gayle Rosengren in preps for our book birthday post! I do have some more graphic novels from Netgalley to read as well as Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCoola and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. I think after Cold War it is going to be a graphic novel week!

Ricki: I fell behind on my plans. I do plan to finish Cold War on Maplewood Street by Gayle Rosengren this week. I’m sorry I am being a boring blogger. I promise I will become more exciting once this dissertation stuff gets a bit lighter. 🙁

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds

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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Kellee’s Recently Loved Picture Books from Penguin Young Readers Group: My Cousin Mom by Zachariah O’Hora; Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr, Night Animals by Gianna Marino, & Sea Rex by Molly Idle

July 4, 2016July 24, 2015 by Kellee

Recently, I have read four amazing picture books from Penguin, so I wanted to share them with you all:

My Cousin Momo
Author and Illustrator: Zachariah O’Hora
Published June 2nd, 2015 by Dial Books

Goodreads Summary: Zachariah OHora’s distinctive retro art and kid-friendly humor take the stage in this story about accepting and celebrating differences.

Momo is coming to visit, and his cousins are SO excited! But even though Momo is a flying squirrel, he won’t fly for his cousin’s friends. Plus, his games are weird. He can’t even play hide and seek right! But when Momo’s cousins give his strange ways a chance, they realize that doing things differently can be fun…almost as much fun as making a new friend.

Fans of Peter Brown and Bob Shea will fall in love with Zachariah O’Hora’s bold artwork and hilarious characters.

My Thoughts: Everyone was so excited to see Momo, but Momo doesn’t live up to their expectations. He is just a little bit different. In a world where different is not always acceptable, I love Momo. He shows his cousins that different can be fun. It also shows how to compromise and that you can learn from people who are different than you (and they from you). And then in the end, the people who are different may surprise you and be pretty awesome. BUT this book tells you all that in such a non-preachy way. It is entertaining and funny, and the artwork is just so eye-catching. I think this is a must read for everyone.

Bunny Roo, I Love You
Author: Melissa Marr
Illustrator: Teagan White
Published April 14th, 2015 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Goodreads Summary: A warm and tender welcome to the world!

In a gorgeous picture book that’s playfully sweet and visually captivating, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr and talented new illustrator Teagan White celebrate the many ways parents make their new babies feel at home.

The world can seem like a big, bewildering place for new babies—fortunately, their mamas know just how to soothe and comfort them. Through enchanting scenes portraying all kinds of mama animals looking out for their little ones, the mother in this story reassures her baby, and young children everywhere, that their caretakers will always love them and keep them safe. This beautiful picture book has the feel of a classic and its heartwarming premise should make it a family favorite.

My Thoughts: Bunny Roo goes through different incidences of a baby’s behavior and compares it to an animal that acts similar. The theme is clearly: all babies act a little nuts, but you are my baby who I love so much. On Twitter, Marr shared, “Each of those animals represented a stage of his [her adopted infant son who was suffering form withdrawal symptoms after being born to an addict] withdrawal. It was how I explained things & told him he’d be ok.” This information moves this book to an even deeper emotional level for me. To watch your baby suffer must have been one of the hardest thing Marr had ever encountered. Although the book is based on this specific experience, any mother will connect with Bunny Mom and her baby, and any reader will feel the love radiating from the pages.

Night Animals
Author and Illustrator: Gianna Marino
Published July 14th, 2015 by Viking Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: Something’s out there in the dark!

First Possum hears it. Then Skunk. Then Wolf comes running.“What could it possibly be?” asks Bat.
“Night Animals!” the animals declare.
“But you are night animals,” Bat informs this not-so-smart crew.

Children will love the oh-so-funny animals in this twist on a cozy bedtime book.

My Thoughts: This is such a silly book! Each night animal is so frightened! And they are frightened of…. night animals! As each night animal is introduced, it gets sillier as every bump scares them and possum keeps playing dead. But if all the night animals are together and scared still–what is still out there to be afraid of?!?! I did really like how Marino included “stats” for each of the animals (possum, skunk, wolf, bear, fruit bat, great horned owl) on the opposite side of the book jacket. What a great way to teach students about these animals. What really stands out about this book, though, is the illustrations. The black background with the gray/silver/white/peach illustrations just pop.

Sea Rex
Author and Illustrator: Molly Idle
Published May 26th, 2015 by Viking Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: What could that be down in the sea? Is it a fish? A snail? A mermaid’s tail? No, it’s bigger than that… a LOT bigger…

it’s Sea Rex!

Join Cordelia and her crestacious companions as they spend a memorable day at the beach, as only dinosaurs can do!

My Thoughts: Molly Idle is becoming one of my favorite illustrators. Her characters are so expressive, and her illustrations are so soft yet colorful. But what really pushes her book to extraordinary are the whimsy within her text. Sea Rex follows the antics of Cordelia, her brother, and their prehistoric friends at the beach. Filled with fun times like sunbathing, swimming, castle building, and picnicing, this book is full of fun times with some silly friends.

**Thank you to Rachel at Penguin for providing copies for review!**