Picture Book 10 for 10

Thank you to Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek for hosting the Picture Book 10 for 10 (#PB10for10). I'm so excited to participate this year. I've seen people posting in years past, but I always forgot about it. But last year I set a reminder on my calendar for July so that I would remember!

Here's how you can participate:

• Grab a Badge (just copy the URL address of the one above or take a screenshot)
• Join the #pb10for10 Google Community
• Choose Your Favorites:  All you need to do is choose ten picture books you cannot live without for whatever reason.  In the first days of this event, everyone shared their ten very favorite titles.  This still works.  You will notice, however, that many past participants choose some type of theme to determine their selections.  We'll leave this up to you.
• Narrow Your List to Ten:  It isn't easy, is it?  We've seen some crafty ways to get around that number.  
• Write Your August 10th Post:  Write a post about the ten books you cannot live without.  Share your post on August 10th and link it to the Picture Book 10 for 10 Community.  
• No Blog?  No Problem:  If you don't have a blog, this might be the perfect time to start one --- or there are a million digital ways to join (see post below).  Of course, now with the Google Community it is quite easy to just post your favorites directly into the community without a blog.  We will also be tweeting from the #pb10for10 hashtag.    
• Comment:  On August 10th (and maybe for a week --- there are a lot of posts) take some time to read posts from other participants.  Please comment on at least three. 

There are so many great picture books out there it is hard to narrow it down to ten. In fact, I had to make a list and then from that list narrow it down to ten. There is not a theme to my choices.

Adrift: An Odd Couple of Polar Bears by Jessica Olien

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This book is a great story about friendship. I like how it shows that you might find a friend in the most unlikely person/animal. Karl and Hazel are totally opposites, but when they begin to drift off to sea together can they get along. I think that this one shows students that we can be friends with those who are different then ourselves.

The Case of the Stinky Stench by Josh Funk 

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. I LOVED the first book, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast. In fact my students loved it too. The book won our 2016 March BOOK Madness. This sequel doesn't disappoint! I love the whole mystery aspect to the book. I have been looking for a picture book that is a fun read to introduce the genre mystery to my little ones and this one is the perfect book.

North, South East West by Margaret Wise Brown 

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This book has a special place in my heart. First off I love Margaret Wise Brown books. Secondly I gave it to a friend's daughter for graduation. This is a sweet story about a little bird who is trying out all different places is in the world to see which is best. This is one that everyone needs to read! The illustrations are by Greg Pizzoli His simple illustrations really pairs well with the text. I love any illustrations done by Greg Pizzoli! 

My Kite is Stuck! And Other Stories by Salina Yoon 

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. Once again I loved the first one Book Duck, Duck, Porcupine! And Other Stories. Both are such a great introduction to graphic novels. Sometimes it is hard for our younger students to figure out how to read graphic novels. These books offer one pane picture that allow the readers to get the hang of reading speech bubbles. I'm thrilled to find out that the third book will be published on September 19th: That's My Book! And Other Stories. I've already pre-ordered this book!

Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin Jr.

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This is a fun book that is very similar the Five Little Monkeys. I was lucky to receive an F&G of this book. So I read it with some of my Kindergarten classes and they LOVED it. In fact, they asked me to read it again. Once I got it on the shelf in my library, it was never there until the end of school. This will be one that never gets old, no matter how many times you read it! The illustrations by Brian Won are so bright and happy. They really highlight the and bring life to the text!

Are We There Yet by Dan Santat

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. If you haven't read this book, you are missing something special! I know I still ask, at least once, whenever I'm on a long trip "Are we there yet" and I get groans as an answer. For me long trips seem to slow down time and that is exactly what happened to the little boy in the story. Time slows down enough that he starts going backwards. There is SO much to see in the illustrations that each time I read it, I find something new. Dan Santat is an incredible author and illustrator of picture books. His books are ones that I make sure I always purchase for my library!

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel 

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. I was blown away by this book when I read it. The text and the idea for this book is so simple but yet so complex. This is a great book to teach point of view and show how we all can see the same object/event differently. I think my two favorite illustrations of the cat is how the snake sees it and how the bee sees it. I can't wait to see what my students think of this book because it is one of our state book award nominee.

Penguin's Christmas Wish by Salina Yoon

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. It is no secret I am a HUGE Salina Yoon fan, especially of Penguin. In this story, Penguin is excited to celebrate Christmas with his family. But we all know, things don't always go according to plan. This is a great Christmas gift to show that that this holiday isn't all about stuff. There are a lot of Salina's characters who make an appearance in this book. If this is the last Penguin book, it is such a heart warming story to end on. But I keep hoping that it is not! 

The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freeman

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This is such a sweet story of friendship and bravery! Last school year I read this book to all 22 of my classes (from Kindergarten to 5th Grade. I never got tired of reading this book at all! To me, that is a sign of a great book! I read it because things were changing a bit in the library and we all were going to be brave like Snail. The story itself is great, but Deborah Freeman's illustrations put this book over the top! Through her illustrations you can really feel all the emotions Fish and Snail are feeling!

Be a Friend by Salina Yoon

Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This book has so much heart! Dennis is a lonely little boy who wants a friend. He is a mime who the just wants to be seen by the other kids. We all have felt exactly like Dennis at one point in our lives. We just want someone to notice and understand us. The story is a great jumping off point for classroom discussions about friendship. This is such a sweet story and will always have a place in my heart!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This meme was started by Sheila at Book Journey. The kid's version was started by Jen at Teach Mentor Text and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.

I'm so excited because this is the third week in a row that I've been able to post, I've been able to read a lot and I stepped outside my comfort zone this week and did something that I wouldn't normally do. I'm not willing to share yet what I did. But if we ask our kids to step out of their comfort zones to push their learning, shouldn't we be willing to do the same thing?

The first book that I read was Refugee by Alan Gratz. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. Wow, just wow! This book was INCREDIBLE!! This book has been talked about on Twitter for a while. I knew that I would need to get my hands on a copy. When I went to the Scholastic Reading Summit I was lucky enough to get a copy from Mr. Schu! This book is such a powerful read, one that everyone needs to read. It is so timely given everything that is happening in our world. Alan Gratz has created characters that grab you by the heart and don't let go. This is when book that I will never forget. If you haven't gotten a copy, you need to get one now! Click here to can hear Alan Gratz read an excerpt the book on Scholastic's Soundcloud. You can also hear many other authors and educators discussing a variety of topics.

Sorry for the short post today. I'll post later on this week about Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, Prince and Pirate by Charlotte Gunnufson and The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken.

Happy Reading!!

Stacey (@libraryjo92)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This meme was started by Sheila at Book Journey. The kid's version was started by Jen at Teach Mentor Text and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.

I've got three books that I've been reading this past week, a picture book, a middle grade book, and a professional book! I've been tweeting more this week as well. Attending the Scholastic Reading Summit had a lot to do with that. But it felt great to be connected with my PLN again. 

The picture book that I read was Here Comes Teacher Cat by Deborah Underwood and illustrations by Claudia Rueda. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This is another great addition to her cat series. I have loved the cat, but I think that this one is my favorite! These books have just the right amount of text to not be overwhelming to the beginning readers. With having a small amount of text, there can be lots of questions that parents and teachers can ask using the illustrations as a spring board for kids to form their answers. Speaking of the illustrations, Claudia Rueda has done another wonderful job bring cat's adventures to life. I was provided this book by Penguin Young Readers. This book will be published on August 8, 2017. I think I will have to buy another copy of this book for my library because I want to keep a copy for myself. My hope one day is to meet Deborah and have her sign my book! 
  
The middle grade book that I read was Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. My first reaction when started reading this book was, how much time do I have? I That thought was because I knew that I was going to need to read until I finished this book! The more I read, the more I didn't want this book to end. I enjoyed the journey that Laurel took me on. I felt like I was a fly living on Orphan Island. According to Mr. Shu, there are lots adults who get to the end of the book and are so upset at the way it ends. On the other hands lots of kids really like the ending. I found myself in agreeing with the kids. Once I reached the end, I was sad that it was over but I felt it was the perfect ending for the book. This is a must read, if you haven't already!

The professional book that I read was Kids Deserve It!: Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. I had the pleasure of meeting Todd Nesloney in February 2017 in Florida. We are both on advisory boards for Scholastic Book Fairs. I learned a lot from talking and listen to him share ideas and information during our meetings. I knew that he had co-wrote a book, but it took me this long to get a hold of it. I'm glad I waited until the summer to read it, so that I can really think about the ideas that he and Adam Welcome wrote about. I read this book in three days. It was a very easy read, but it made me think quite a bit as I was reading. As I enter year 22 in my teaching career, this book reinforced that I need to continue to push myself to grow for my students. One of the most important ideas that I'll take from this book is to remember to celebrate even the smallest successes. Being in the library I see every student in the school. Many times it is one of the few places some of my school's neediest/behavior challenged kids are successful. I try to call home to give them a positive phone call because that is not the normal phone call for them. I do really well until about the middle of the year. I'm making it my goal to do better this coming year. I enjoyed this book so much, I even picked up a copy for my principal.

What have you been reading?

Happy Reading!!

Stacey (@libraryjo92)