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Sunday, April 6, 2014

It's Monday-Hurrah!

Happy Reading everyone!
“We read to know we are not alone.” 
 - C.S. Lewis

 It's Monday! What are you Reading? is hosted by Jen at TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS, and shared with Ricki and Kellee at UNLEASHING READERS.   
         And, also visit Sheila at BOOK JOURNEYS for more reviews.  Great books are being shared!
 Tweet! at #IMWAYR

       Last week was my spring break, and while I read a lot, not as much as expected. Great week, though! Here are my reviews.  


        This book meets two challenges, the #MustReadIn2014, & the CORL challenge at the Gathering Books blog.

Paperboy – written by Vince Vawter
               This is such a quiet book. It sneaks up on you. Word by word, paragraph by paragraph, you watch this young boy during the month of July, substituting as the paperboy for his friend, Art (or Rat, easier to say if you stutter). This boy is a stutterer, and we see inside his mind how much he arranges his life around it, except when he’s with certain ‘safe’ people, whom he knows will be patient and listen. It’s a lovely story showing some growing up of a very smart boy who many think is not smart because of the stutter. 



         We hear what he thinks about the behavior of certain people when he’s trying to talk to them. We hear life questions, of his trying to figure out certain people he meets on his paper route. And we feel the sweet relationship between him and Mam, the housekeeper who cares for him. The month is quite an adventure, and I don’t want to give more away other than it’s very good, and worth reading. If you’re a teacher or a parent, I wonder what you will think of the thoughts from this young boy. And I wonder if we ever know what kids are really thinking. This is the author’s first book, he says more memoir than fiction, and it was awarded a Newbery Honor for 2013.


 
I Am The Ocean, reviewed HERE!

Along with Silver People, reviewed HERE, more poetry!

Scoot! written and illustrated by Cathryn Falwell
         This is a delightful book, in rhyme, about a pond and all the wonderful creatures that live there, among them six silent turtles who do very little for most of the book, but sit idly on a log and watch everyone else.  Cathryn Falwell’s illustrations are gorgeous, filling her pages with almost 3-d images. She uses special ways to gain texture (like in the tree trunks) and explains how in the back of the book. The poetry comes naturally between pauses that look at those six turtles sitting still as stones. For example, “Wood ducks glide./Water striders slide./Salamanders dash./Tadpoles splash.” Very fun. This would be a good experience in rhyming for young readers and writers. There is more information about the animals in the backmatter, too.

          This book meets the challenge to find and read more books about or by Latino writers and illustrators, hosted by http://latinosinkidlit.com 
One Hundred Is A Family – written by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illus. by Benrei Huang
            This book could be used in many different ways, one of which is the celebration of Earth Day, because it ends with a hundred people all together taking care of the earth. It’s a counting book, in rhyme, including one through ten, then by tens to one hundred. Each page shows happy people from all cultures and ages doing things they love best, eating, telling stories, sledding, celebrating, etc. It’s a delightful book that will be good to read aloud to young children.

New Old Shoes – written by Charlotte Blessing, illus. by Gary R. Phillips
         In the back matter, this book connects to the Soles2Souls organization that aids people all over the world who need shoes. Many people in the world do not even have one pair of shoes, so it is good to find places who are working hard to find ways to send used shoes to them. This story follows a pair of what look like low-top Doc Martins through different owners, finally ending up as “hands” for a scarecrow protecting crops. It is told in the voice of the shoes, and we hear the pair being excited finally to be chosen, then to run and jump and play. More than one child is thrilled to wear this pair, until, finally worn out, it can do no more. The illustrations are beautifully done, showing children playing in numerous kinds of ways out of doors, kicking soccer balls, climbing trees, riding bicycles. It’s a story to help children think about needs of others in a positive way.

The Little Red Fish - written and illustrated by taeeun yoo
          I had the pleasure of reading this book, thanks to my wonderful book buddy who found it at one of the libraries she frequents (yes, more than one!). It has been published all over the world, and is such a whimsical story. Done in nearly all brown tones, except for the red fish & a couple of other things, a young boy is allowed to accompany his grandfather, a librarian, to the library for the first time. He brings his little red fish along, and is fascinated by all the books in each room. Well, some interesting things happen suddenly, and the fish disappears. The boy only sees that red tail zipping around a corner. You’ll need to find the book to see what happens. I enjoyed the imagination and the illustrations!

Peggy - written and illustrated by Anna Walker
             This is an imaginative book by a well-known picture book artist from Australia. The illustrations are in lovely watercolor, showing off Peggy, a chicken who’s been “blown” into quite an adventure, away from her loving home, all the way to the city. Lucky her, she is finally helped by some pigeons, and along the way, sees many things she’s never seen before, like a display window with multiple mirrors. Some of the pages have what seem like a photo contact page, and tell the story with actions and just a few words. It’s a very cute book with an endearing ‘chick’ adventure.

Next: Reading (finally) Amy Timberlake’s One Came Home, and still trying to find time to “listen” to an audiobook or two!  I finished Thrive, by Meenoo Rami but will be reviewing in about ten days for the blog tour. It’s terrific, get a copy!

More Poetry Love for April!! Find this post by Jama Rattigan, at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

         And, don't forget the Progressive Poem hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem! The list and links are on the sidebar.  

18 comments:

  1. You are making your way through those Newbery titles! I read and really liked both on your list. I thought The Paperboy was all the more powerful because it was basically a memoir. One Came Home was wonderfully different- enjoy! So pleased to see that you enjoyed The Little Red Fish. I was so happy to discover this title at my library a while back.

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    1. I was pleased finally to read Paperboy, Carrie. Considering the author said it was more a memoir made it all the more fascinating. When I posted about The Little Red Fish on Goodreads, I saw that you had read it. I must have missed it, don't have it on my list of books to get, an amazing and interesting book! Thanks!

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  2. I have Paperboy in that long to get to pile!! I can't wait to hear more about Thrive. I've heard it's good but really don't know what it's about. I've held off ordering it so I'm anxious to learn more!

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    1. Hoping you'll get to Paperboy soon, Michele. And the Thrive book tour begins this Wednesday! Check Jen's post then! Have a great week!

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  3. New Old Shoes sounds like a book that we need in our social studies curriculum, as we study human rights and varying needs around the world. Also love the concept of A Hundred is a Family, and okay, Paperboy is moving up on my list. I keep reading about it! Thank you, Linda!

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    1. Another recent one I shared was Beatrice's Goat, & perhaps you saw it, Melanie. All good for new ways to examine lives/ourselves/cultures. And yes, Paperboy is good, but there are many available that are also good. Happy reading, and thanks!

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  4. Hi Linda, I also enjoyed Paperboy and was happy to see it get recognized. I have not seen Cathryn Falwell's new book, but I will need to look into it. She actually lives in the town where I teach! One Hundred is a Family looks great! Enjoy your week!

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    1. How great-maybe an author visit with Cathryn Falwell, Gigi. The book is very cute! Wasn't Paperboy a lovely story? Hope you find some books to enjoy, & have a great week too!

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  5. Saying that Paperboy sneaks up on you is a perfect explanation of it. Such a unique book.
    Happy reading this week! :)

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    1. Thanks, Kellee. It really does, catching one's heart, too.

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  6. I thought Paperboy was excellent and was thrilled it won a Newbery Honor!

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    1. I remember how excited all of you were when the awards were given out, Holly! It is good!

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  7. I have heard about the Paperboy over and over again. Your review pushed me over the edge. I need to beg my librarians to get it! Thank you!
    Have a wonderful week, Linda!

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    1. Thanks Ricki, it really was a pleasure reading Paperboy. I hope you'll enjoy it too!

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  8. All these books look great, Linda! Paperboy and One Came Home are the two Newbery's I still have to read. Maybe over spring break!

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    1. Thanks, Catherine. Hope you'll enjoy them!

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  9. I've been meaning to get to One Came Home - looks like my kind of read. Thank you for sharing all these lovely titles. I know I bought a copy of Little Red Fish a few years back during the Library Warehouse Sale but haven't gotten around to reading it yet, so I'm very excited about that. Peggy looks really good, I've been reading a lot of good reviews about it. I hope I can get to Paper Boy too - sounds like a novel I could recommend to my higher degree students who specialize in special needs. :)

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    1. I adored Little Red Fish, Myra, special and different. I would think some kids will love it for its silliness, & some may think it's just ridiculous. Your idea for Paperboy is good. I didn't own this copy, but there were many parts of his 'adaptations' that were amazing. He worked out exactly what he needed to do to protect himself. What is hard is that we as teachers don't know how much a student is doing that. The book reminded me about that.

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