It's Monday - Books Loved in past Weeks!

 

  

        I've taken some time away from my blog, and have recently returned from a family trip to Costa Rica, on the beach, having a fabulous time in and out of the waves! Now it's time to look ahead. I actually didn't read very much on the trip. Too much was happening all the time, especially outside by the sea. But through the weeks I haven't posted, I have read, a lot! Here's a small pic of what I want to share. I've shared the more recent ones below with a few exceptions, like Gary Paulsen's last book. In this collage, note Canoe Days, an older picture book by Paulsen, a wonderful 'find' at the used bookstore where I volunteer!

         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! 

           I shared On A Gold-Blooming Day: Finding Fall Treasures, a new book by Buffy Silverman last week for Poetry Friday here. It's great!

       It was bittersweet reading Gary Paulsen's final book, perhaps a fitting end, an adventure of a twelve-year-old boy, Leif, who had to flee his ship's camp because everyone had some disease, were dying. He was a foundling, raised by the crew but still a prisoner on board. One kind seaman sent him with a dugout canoe, a blanket bundle, a handaxe, a knife, flint and steel, and a metal point for making a spear. His journey along the north coasts, among islands, shows his survival instincts and skills. Interactions with whales and ravens, eagles and bears, plus observations about nature and life itself are beautifully written as Paulsen allows Leif to tell his story. When you read an author's note from him, you'll find it has a personal connection that feels very real. It's a lovely ending story from this special author.

       I  dearly love grandparent/grandchild stories and also stories by Philip Stead and Matthew Cordell. Here is another to adore! Young Louis wants a dog but his gram says there are too many dogs in the neighborhood already. They write the authorities to check and discover that no record is kept. Well, there they go, taking their own time to find ALL the dogs in the neighborhood. It's the cutest story, with a super surprise at the end for Louis! Don't miss this one!

       Dan Santat's art and stories amaze and satisfy. This time, with underlying grief over the loss of her father, Sophia is struggling to meet a teacher's expectations for a science fair project, is sad that her uncle has little time to see her, and hangs out at Aqualand that her dad and uncle created, but her uncle still has no time. Her world changes drastically when an "aquanaut" breaks into the research lab. Where else but in Santat's books can sea creatures like an octopus and a crab learn to use an old diving suit and manage a daring rescue? There's love here and a message about what's most important in our lives. It's terrific!