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Monday, January 18, 2021

Monday Reading - Stories to Love

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  
Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

      I finished a second book on my "Must Read" list and, yes, it was wonderful.

 






          I imagine most everyone shared, or written, glowing reviews of Lauren Wolk's book as I will, too, after reading this book full to the brim of a family who has lost everything, so much that they ended up on part of Echo Mountain, living in a tent through months of hard weather while they built a cabin for shelter. As they worked, then moved into the new home, the mother and older daughter show they surely mourned what was lost, but as readers discover, this is the younger daughter Ellie's story, a twelve-year-old who loved learning from her father, things like starting a fire with flint and steel, how to catch fish. She was flourishing in nature. One quote I noted gave me a smile at her happiness: "Took Maisie her breakfast and sang her a song I made up on the spot, full of barn cats and field mice and goldenrod bowed down with yellow." 
         Sadly, Ellie, that sunny girl didn't stay because of a terrible accident when her father felled a tree and ended in a coma. Yet, she finds the strength to keep on, finding new purpose in the woman called "a hag" who lives at the top of the mountain and a boy, Larkin, who has been leaving secret carved gifts in various places she visits. Ellie is determined to be who she wants to be and keeps in hurt from her family as she uncovers more mysteries, stories I certainly didn't see coming. The many-layered characters reminded me that until we really know a person, we don't know the challenges they have or are facing. Ellie and all the others in her life are people worth knowing, people one would love to have in their lives.





            I've had several "night" explorations in the past, like studying the moon and going on a "moonwalk", but sadly have never had a "Moth Ball" as described by Loree Griffin Burns. With photos by Ellen Harasimowicz of kids studying moths, preparing for a Moth Ball, Burns has created an experience like few others in a book! She includes the facts about moths, best ways to encourage many to come to the "ball", tools to use and recipes for luring. Added are an author's note, a photographer's note, a glossary and extra resources. It is an extraordinary resource for studying moths, even if you cannot get outdoors to see them in the wild.

         The following two books published just this month! Thanks to Candlewick Press for the copies!


         
One never needs words when beautiful comic-style cells written, then illustrated by JonArno Lawson and Qin Leng can create a story as lovely, distressing, and sad in part, too. A little girl and her grandparent certainly need some help with their General Store. They have one apartment for the help and they make themselves put it up for rent, and then, finally, a young couple demonstrates what work, creativity, and friendliness can fix. The whole world turns and smiles! It is a fabulous new wordless picture book.    

            Dimitri is a happy young boy just starting pre-school. He loves ants and a tree with heart-shaped leaves, also the class guinea pig and the paintbrushes in art, and he tells them that. On his first day, he tells everyone at school that he loves them, but they seem not to know how to act and mostly run away. On the second day, he tells his mother he doesn't want to go back because no one told him they loved him. Mom explains about the many ways people show their love, a good lesson for us all! Shearring's illustrations are sweetly child-like, showing the exuberant emotions of children in a colorful palette. This will be a special book to discuss all kinds of ways people show their love, including not shying away from those three words, "I love you." Both the author and illustrator live in England. This is the first U.S. edition. 

And one more picture book you might want to check out:


            Emily Winfield Martin has taken a snippet of a line, no explanation about from where, and illustrated each one. Some are double pages, some with words on one side and the illustration on the other. It is unique, could be used as inspiration for more writing, poetry or prose. I "imagine" finding one's own snippet and illustrating it as Emily has. As the sub-title reads: "Little Scraps of Larger Stories". 


What's Next: I've started Hatch, number two in Kenneth Oppel's trilogy. Even the first few pages are alarming! 

15 comments:

  1. Echo Mountain is one of those books I kept thinking about long after finishing. So good!

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  2. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about these books. I just finished Echo Mountain last night and I was so sorry to say good bye to everyone there, especially Ellie. What a beautiful book! What beautiful writing!

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  3. Echo Mountain sounds spectacular. I keep hearing the title and know I'll just have to squeeze it in somewhere or else I'll truly feel like I missed out on something special. I currently have it on hold through Overdrive. And what a cute title for an insect book: Moth Ball. Heehee! The Boy Who Loved Everyone sounds so sweet. And I definitely need to make sure to add The Imaginaries to my list. I'm intrigued. Thanks for all these wonderful shares, Linda!

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  4. Over the Shop looks charming! Thanks for sharing your review for it is a new title for me and I love adding to my wordless picture book collection.

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  5. Thanks, these all look wonderful. I just put Echol Mountain and The Moth Ball on my order list yesterday. I keep seeing them show up on best of 2020 lists and possible award lists.

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  6. Echo Mountain sounds interesting. I love survival types stores and that cover is beautiful! My younger son (16) is an insect collector, and I'm always learning something new from him about moths and butterflies. He would've loved a book like The Moth Ball when he was younger, but probably still would now.

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  7. Thanks to all who came by to check out these books. It's not long before the ALA Midwinter awards happen, so I'm certainly wondering which books will be winners!

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  8. I'm starting to get the sense that Echo Mountain is one of those books that I simply have to read as someone who reads MG. It seems like pretty much everyone has nothing but glowing praise for it! Over the Shop and The Boy Who Loved Everyone both sound wonderful, and The Imaginaries sounds like a fascinating concept! Thanks for the wonderful post!

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    1. Yes, please read Echo Mountain when you can. It's good, like all the others, too! Thanks!

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  9. After reading your words about Echo Mountain, I went right to my library webpage and put a hold on a copy of it. Ditto for Over the Shop. I adore Qin Leng's work!(and she is Canadian too!) The rest of the books sound wonderful too! Hope you enjoy Hatch!

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  10. I just read The Boy who Loved Everything and will review it on the next IMWAYR. I think I should read Echo Mountain before the YMAs.

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  11. Thanks, Cheriee & Earl. I hope you both find and love Echo Mountain soon! And the books you both mentioned are great, too!

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  12. I really hope Echo Mountain gets some love on Monday! I think it's worthy of it! I really loved Moth Ball too. It's one that brings kids to nonfiction reading!

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    1. Hope so about Echo Mountain! And I agree that Moth Ball is a great story that's non-fiction! Thanks, Michele!

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  13. I read Moth Ball a few months ago and I want to have my own party. Except in real life I'd probably be a wimp about bugs flying around instead of a cool scientist.

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