It’s Monday and I’m happy to be participating in a weekly event with a community of bloggers who post reviews of books that they have read the previous week. Check out more IMWAYR posts here: Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers
I have not posted for many weeks so am happy to be back to share some of the amazing new books that I have discovered. Summer days are passing by and I find myself deep in the bliss of stress-free days with time to enjoy my family and to read and to occasionally glance at my “summer to do list”! Here are the books I have recently enjoyed…
Wait – Antoinette Portis
A busy mom and a curious child, both interested in different things. This gentle, quiet book reminds us to stop, notice and appreciate. A great companion to Sidewalk Flowers and Last Stop on Market Street.
Even Super Heroes Sleep – David Katz (board book)
My two boys LOVED super heroes and would have LOVED this book when they were younger! A perfect bedtime book for young Super Hero lovers with a nice balance between male and female super heroes. Time to rest your super powers and go to sleep!
Rufus the Writer – Elizabeth Bram
Instead of a lemonade stand, Rufus runs a story stand! He writes personalized stories (included as “mini stories”) for his friends and accepts whatever item of value they offer as payment. Writing joy fills every page! LOVE this book! I’m already visualizing a Story Stand in my classroom!
In My Heart: A book of feelings – Jo Witek
A nice addition to books about Feelings. This one has the added feature of a cut out heart in the center of the book which grows smaller as you turn the pages. Different feelings are associated with a different color. The bonus is that there are also great examples of similes!
Night Animals – Gianna Marino
Charming, funny, engaging! This is an adorable story about frightened nocturnal critters who are afraid of each other. Sparse text and wonderful illustrations. Love the opossum who plays dead every time it is scared! Would make a great read-aloud.
Look! – Jeff Mack
I LOVE books that use very few words – perfect for teaching and practicing inferring! This adorable book of friendship between a boy and a gorilla uses only two words to share an important message: Turn off the TV and LOOK at a book!
Random Body Parts: Gross Anatomy Riddles in Verse – Leslie Bulion
Clever, interesting, funny and gross! This collection of poems about different body parts would make a great read-aloud to introduce your human body unit. I love the wacky illustrations, the funny sidebars and the variety of different kinds of poems. There’s even a nod to Shakespeare! Great!
Anna, Banana and the Friendship Split – Anica Mrose Rissi
Wonderful new early chapter series about the joys and challenges of 3rd grade “besties”. (BTW – Banana is the dog’s name!)Anna is my favorite kind of character–kind and thoughtful and has a deep strength. Very impressed with the depth of this little book and look forward to more in the series.
Thanks for stopping by! Leave me a message and let me now which book(s) caught your eye!
Lovely picture books! Random Body parts sounds like a hoot – perfect for my silly sixth graders!
They will love it! High on the “gross” scale but also very informative and fun! They may even be inspired to write their own “random body part poems” !
Love the idea of Random Body Parts, a new and funny way to do poetry, right? Wait reminds me of that book about Joshua Bell when he played in the subway & no one noticed except a little girl (fictional & true all at the same time)-The Man With The Violin. And you’re right, it also pairs well with Sidewalk Flowers (I thought that was sad) & Last Stop on Market Street. I think Look! is so clever. I’ll look for In My Heart, a sweet idea. Thanks for these, Adrienne.
I love your list, and will be sending the post link to my work email as soon as I’m done with this comment, so I can order these for our library! I can see an audience for each one of these in my school; thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by and so happy you found some books that you will be able to use at school!
I am sure that I will love Night Animals. I am charmed just by the cover! I also have a thing for books with black covers. I also want to look at Wait. Someone gifted my class In my Heart. It is beautiful! Rufus the Writer looks like an Adrienne book for sure!
Night Animals is definitely a Carrie book! Wait is lovely – very much like The Man With the Violin in terms of the mother and child pulling in opposite directions! Rufus is one you must read – imagine a story stand in your classroom?!!!
I adore the cover for Night Animals. It’s so simple but it screams “READ ME!” Rufus the Writer is such an adorable premise. I must seek out that one.
I agree it is a very appealing cover! The story is equally as good! Rufus is also such a clever idea for a story and I love how the author weaves in Rufus’s “mini stories” into the book. You will really enjoy this one! Thanks for stopping by my blog!