Monday Reading - A Few for You!

       

        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! 

         Hope everyone had a great first week of the year! My family finally had our Christmas gathering, late, but much fun to be together! Now time to focus on the Cybil's and a bit more reading for readers here, too!

Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

        I forgot to share this at the end of the year! It would be good to have read the original story of the little match girl before this one, but it isn't necessary. There is background from the author and illustrator at the end. It's appropriate for young middle-grades, nicely written from the Little Match Girl's POV. This time, as Emma Carroll writes through the girl's voice, she wants more of the true story to come out and be based on real historical events. Although there's some magical realism included too. It's both an inspiring and heartbreaking story of those who toiled just to make the most meager of a living, while, as the maker of matches, becoming very ill from the constant exposure to white phosphorus. For young readers, this may be the first knowledge of how group resistance can be powerful! For an early reader book, it's full of interesting parts to discuss. (You can read about the original at the end of this list!)

           This book shows the beauty of how nature takes care of so much, this time after a whale dies. Melissa Stewart takes readers on an amazing journey after a whale dies and falls to the ocean's bottom. From that time, the books ends with this giant totally disappearing from many, many sea creatures using it for their sustenance. Melissa explains what and how, step by step. Rob Dunlavey's illustrations illuminate the ocean habitat's beauty page after page, starting with those who first smell the whale, like the hungry hagfish. They travel far to find what might be their first meal in weeks, per Melissa's words. The whale may have lived for long years, but this time, in a way, it gives back for perhaps another fifty. From hagfish to the tiniest of creatures, "hundreds of species–millions of creatures" have been able to live because of the whale dying. There is much more information in the backmatter with many creatures illustrated and described, plus selected resources and a list of books, articles, books, and videos for further exploration. It's terrific and really wonderful to read and learn about this.

          Young children may know that some of their food comes from fields and gardens, but Maria Gianferrari adds much more knowledge about food and the many, many reasons to "Thank A Farmer" in her newest book! From wheat to milk, fruits and veggies, to various kinds of rice, then mushrooms and maple syrup, she wants us to be sure to know that farmers should be thanked. The text is brief, and each part ends with a lovely lyrical phrase, like with maple syrup, "syrupy and sticky!" There are also gardens shown in cities and schools, plus backyard pots (like the tomatoes in mine!). The ending section shows that farmers also are thankful–for people helping, animals in various tasks like 'carrying' and 'giving', and machines! Full-color illlustrations by Monica Mikai bring the words to life with green-growing worlds filled with diverse people doing all the tasks needed, also including the animals and machines, small worlds and large. Young readers will smile at familiar scenes and learn from others. Added information at the back is brief and includes interesting facts, like how often dairy cows are milked, how long people have been tapping maple trees for syrup, plus information about the help worms give. There must be countless ways to share this book with children to show them what they see in the supermarkets and eat at home have stories to tell, and thanks to give. It's terrific!

      I found this at the library during the holidays, a gorgeous illustrated picture book for Christmas by Tomie dePaola. His illustrations make Christina Rossetti's Christmas Carol "In The Bleak Midwinter" come alive with new ways of seeing the story of Jesus' birth. The various scenes toward the end of the Nativity are especially lovely.

         This is a re-read. Do you know it? It was donated to the used bookstore where I work, so I wanted to share again as it feels appropriate for our divided time right now. Here's what I wrote then with a bit added:  

      Standing up for what is right is a difficult thing. This book shows what can happen if one cannot find the strength and courage to speak up when one knows something is happening that is wrong. It can be used for all ages to begin discussions about the historical time of the Holocaust, but is written for young children as an introduction to those times. It tells the story of animals in the forest and each time Terrible Things come for a certain group, like those with feathers, everyone else is relieved that they are not taken. They step away, not understanding, yet still happy to be left alone. There are key phrases that adults will notice, like “we mustn’t ask” and “It doesn’t matter” and “Life went on almost like before.” Stephen Gammel illustrates the text in black and white, showing well the fear of those taken and the creepy faces of the Terrible Things. It is a chilling book, perhaps because I already know what happened, and I hope others remember to tell the story and talk about it, again and again. There are numerous lessons available for this book!

          Added to this review: The story feels as if we should all learn again this lesson from Eve Bunting's book. It's time to speak up before we lose our democracy!

       In brief rhyming text, Linda Booth Sweeney introduces the concepts of how things together can transform into "new," colors make new ones, bees and flowers equal honey, and teammates together can score! Illustrator Ariel Rutland shows each idea in brilliant color-filled pages. It's certainly a marvelous start to getting children (students) to discover even more examples and ways that "together" can become "more". 

         I have been discovering more books illustrated by Jerry Pinkney who passed away in 2021. This one fits our new year, long years ago, but then it feels as if it connects with those across our world who are homeless, too. We have an arctic air/winter storm starting to come in today and into the weekend. I worry about those who have no place to go. It's New Year's Eve and Pinkney's illustrations show that long ago world of open markets full of bundled-up wealthy people shopping, among them children who are especially sent to beg for a few coins in exchange for paper flowers or matches. There's magic in this story, made even more poignant with the beautiful illustrations. 

HAPPY READING!