Did you know there are 5 Kinds of Nonfiction? My friend, Melissa Stewart, and Dr. Marlene Correia wrote 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction With Children’s Books and has generously shared resources and book lists for teachers, librarians, writers, and the rest of us!
Did you also know that Ms. Stewart updated those resources with even more titles on the book lists? Thank you, Melissa! (Click here to read more.)
5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction With Children’s Books by Melissa Stewart and Dr. Marlene Correia (Stenhouse Publishers, 2021)
IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.
The Bad News: Spring break was much too short and the weather was not the best. The Good News: I had plenty to read! It’s Poetry Month, so I’ve been digging into former poetry reads and finding new ones. I also had time to listen on Libro.fm and open NetGalley again.
Physical Books: My poetry reads included Alive At The End Of The World by Saeed Jones, Glory in the Margins: Sunday Poems by Nikki Grimes, and How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander, Deanna Nikaido, and illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
Libro.fm: I’ve been listening to Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers, edited by Rose Brock, narrated by various voices and I just downloaded the long-awaited Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith, narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Charley Flyte.
NetGalley: I’m still not good at reading on NetGalley, but I saw some favorite authors this week, so I’m motivated. Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz, History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People by Kate Messner and Jose Barreiro, and Only Only Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly are books I cannot wait to add to the library this fall.
IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.
I read a few new titles over the weekend and today. There are many good picture books coming in 2023! I’m excited to use these with students. Bear is Never Alone by Marc Veerkamp and Jeska Verstegen, translated by Laura Watkinson (Eerdmans Books, 2023), is a look at what happens when one has “had it up to here!” Bear loses his cool after all the forest animals demand more of Bear’s beautiful piano music. It’s Zebra who comes to the rescue, sitting quietly with Bear and reading after Bear’s outburst. The stress subsides as the book ends and makes Bear (and the reader) feel better.
A related title is Snail Trail by Ziggy Hanaor, illustrated by Christos Kourtoglou (Cicada Books, 2023). “Marjorie was a happy snail. She liked playing with her friends and spending time with her family. But occasionally, Marjorie wanted to be on her own.” Marjorie, like Bear in the story above, “loses it” when she gets overwhelmed. It takes her fellow snail friend, Bernard, to teach Marjorie a trick to keep others away.
These are both books I can see using in a classroom – maybe on a stressful or noisy day – and students and teachers can safely talk about feelings and the consequences of letting those feelings get the best of us.
How the Sea Came To Be (And All the Creatures In It) by Jennifer Berne and Amanda Hall (Eerdmans Books, 2023) is a wonderful new title that needs to be in STEM classrooms and school libraries. Written in three parts, this poetic journey through time tells how the “sea came to be – and all the creatures in it.” Jennifer Berne and Amanda Hall use poetry, colorful pictures, surprising page layouts, and bunches of backmatter to encourage children to observe, discover, and research our past and plan for our future. This picture book is gorgeous and interesting — readers will fall in love with the ocean and all the organisms in it. Teachers will love the glimpse at the eons and captioned notes about animals most of us have never heard of before. There are pages of key terms and concepts that dig deeper, yet are accessible to students. Recommended readings and more fill the end of the book, leading to a lifelong commitment to joyful exploration and care of our earth’s oceans.
Finally, I picked up Jack Wong’s When You Can Swim – a fictional account of a young person learning to swim. The idea came from Mr. Wong’s personal experience and it’s an idea that I found original and fun. Adults will remember back to the days when they learned to swim and will read this one with new “little fish.” The book releases in May (Orchard Books, 2023) and I cannot wait!
IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.
It’s Spring! If the snow and cold ever go away, I’ll believe it. Ha! Happy fourth quarter of school, happy spring, happy reading! School is super busy until spring break now, but I’m still on track with my reading.
Physical Books: I received a lovely book mail package today with the new book, The Carpet: An Afghan Family Story by Dezh Azaad and Nan Cao, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers. It’s the story of a family who lives on their carpet, and wherever they happen to be, the carpet brings them “home.” I love hearing about family traditions and cultures, and The Carpet is perfect for sharing.
I’m still reading Rosewood: A Midsummer Meet Cute by Sayantani DasGupta. It’s perfect for catching that spring/summer vibe.
Libro.fm: I’m still listening to Finally Seen by Kelly Yang and I LOVE the characters! The narrator (Cindy Kay) is good and I’m enjoying my commute to work while hanging out with Lina.
NetGalley: I’m reading Dear Medusa when I can. I feel for Alicia early in the book. This one is sad and scary and makes me angry. I wonder how long it will take to get challenged or banned. (I’ll be mad about that, for sure.) I’m still a fan of this cover! Perfect!
IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.
Physical Books – New: Happy Book Birthday to John Schu and Lauren Castillo! It’s FINALLY here! This Is a Story is a long-awaited picture book for celebrating readers and reading. I was lucky enough to see this one before it publishes tomorrow. Look at this cover! (That’s how I hold new books – I hug them!) There’s even a poster on the inside of the jacket. Share this story with all your friends and family!
T.P. Jagger is in town! My author friend came to visit for a few days and meet students from our district’s elementary schools. We are having so much fun talking about writing (secret tips!), reading, and T.P.’s series, Hide and GEEK. These four friends – Gina, Edgar, Elena, and Kevin (the GEEKs) – are having adventures and solving mysteries and our readers love the series! In the first book, the GEEKs try to save their town as the famous toy factory that manufactured the Bamboozler is shutting down. In the second book, someone is trying to say the GEEKs are frauds! What? (You’ll have to read and find out.)
NetGalley and Libro.fm: I’m still reading Dear Medusa and listening to Finally Seen. These books are keeping my attention even though I just started a very busy week.
IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.
Physical Books: I love celebrating book birthdays! I read Dan Santat’s graphic novel/memoir, A First Time For Everything, before meeting him recently at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL. He is so kind! I got my Fanta sticker and a signed book, which is already moving along at school. This week (tomorrow) there are four (4) notable middle-grade book birthdays! Rosewood: A Midsummer Meet Cute by Sayantani DasGupta, Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter, Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt, and Change the Game: A Graphic Novel by Colin Kaepernick (all from Scholastic Press).
Libro.fm: I’m still listening to Finally Seen by Kelly Yang. I haven’t been in the car much, so I’m not finished yet.
NetGalley: I haven’t started Dear Medusa yet, but I will this week.
IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.
It’s been busy at school (wrapping up 3rd quarter soon) and I’ve been stressed about book banning and climate change. What can I do to relax? I can read. I’m finishing Half Moon Summer (so good!) by Elaine Vickers. I love the way the alternating chapters flow between prose and poetry. I love the characters Drew and Mia and how they get closer as the plot moves forward. I’m not a runner, but I can see how running can be a vehicle for dealing with life.
Physical Books: There are so many picture books out there and they are all so wonderful. I’ve been spending time building text sets for different projects and these three are perfect for “world perspectives.” I read 9 Kilometers (math friends need this one!) by Claudio Aguilera and Gabriela Lyon, translated by Lawrence Schimel (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2020), We Are Human Animals (social studies teachers – pick this one up!) by Rosie Haine (Eerdmans Books, 2023), and Border Crossings by Sneed B. Collard III and Howard Gray (Charlesbridge, 2023) — just gorgeous, yet heartbreaking.
I am rereading Haven Jabobs Saves the Planet by Barbara Dee to add a middle-grade book to this text set. I love Barbara Dee’s characters! Yes, you, too, can help save the planet. (My copy is at school, so I used the Goodreads image here.)
Libro.fm: I FINALLY had some time to start listening to Finally Seen by Kelly Yang. I’m at chapter 7 and loving it!
NetGalley: I finished The Gray by Chris Baron (such a special book – Chris Baron makes me laugh and cry every time!) and I’m on to Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole (how can one resist that cover!).
IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.
It’s President’s Day, and since I don’t really celebrate ALL the presidents, I spent time traveling and reading today. Here’s what I finished since last week: We Are Here, This is a Story, When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left, I Am Ruby Bridges, Frozen Peaches, and A First Time for Everything. There are SO MANY excellent titles coming soon. These are all on my list to celebrate!
Up next! More #AuthorFriendsRock sharing with #booksojourn! Thank you!
Physical Book:Half Moon Summer by Elaine Vickers. This one looks intriguing. The two main characters’ chapters are written in alternating prose (Drew) and poetry (Mia).
Libro.fm:Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney and narrated by Scott Pinkney and Gloria Pinkney. This one will be special. I’ve always been a fan, but now this book will hold more meaning for lots of us readers, I’m sure.
IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.
I’m not feeling very well after a long week last week and a busy day today, but I AM enjoying my reading time. There are so many books coming in 2023! Here’s another one…
Coming in April from Scholastic Focus, this nonfiction text by Deborah Hopkinson is worthy of more than one shout-out! I have several students who will be sharing our library copies after spring break. (See my Book PREview about Race Against Death.)
Race Against Death is a scary, suspenseful look at POWs’ lives after Pearl Harbor. Deborah Hopkinson brings the story of The “Angels of the Underground” to readers, detailing the horrific conditions the American and Filipino servicemen endured while stuck in the Philippines under Japanese military control.
This a story of suffering and death attributed to war and its conditions, but also a celebration of the hope and dedication of US Army Rangers who risked everything to save their fellow soldiers. The Great Raid was an unknown war story for this reader, and I hope many more readers will come to know about this Race Against Death. Powerful. Interesting. Needed.
Recommended for middle school/high school. 5 Stars!
Thank you to the author for the early peek ARC. This title publishes in April 2023 by Scholastic Focus. #NewBooks #TrueStories #WarStories #middleschool #reading #independentreading #WWII #ReadingTeacherWrites #booksojourn
Reading Teacher Writes 