Monday, September 9, 2013

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 9/9/13

I'm linking up with Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts today.  Check out both sites for some great books!

This was sort of a crazy week.  Tuesday was our first day back at school.  I am really excited to be back, but the first week is always exhausting.  I'm looking forward to getting into more of a routine. We had a great first week of math thinking, reading, writing, and learning together in Room 11.  I just have to remember that we are building stamina for EVERYTHING, not just independent reading.  (And I need to keep reminding myself that that includes me too.  Perfection is not a smart expectation for the 30th week, let alone the first week.)

I did get a chance to do a little bit of reading this week, so here are some of the books I enjoyed.

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Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Dan Santat is an awesome new book.  I had heard a lot about it, but I sort of got the feeling that it was a bit old for my first graders.  I was definitely wrong.  My first graders are definitely going to get a kick out of this one.  This was a really funny book.  I think I might pair it with Nugget and Fang and Surprising Sharks when I read it to my kids.  It also would pair really well with I Want My Hat Back.

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I am so very late to the party on this one.  Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell was a 2013 Geisel Award honor book.  I can't wait to read this one aloud to my students.  The dynamic and the dialogue between Rabbit and Robot was hysterical, and I know they are going to be laughing through the whole book.
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Yet again, late to the party on this title.  Each Kindness has been getting so much excellent publicity, and for very good reason.  This is a story that really needs to be told as many times as possible.  I liked that it didn't tie up in a nice pretty bow at the end.  I think it's more of a real-life mirror that way.  This is a powerful and important book to share with students about the importance of kindness.
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I read the companion book to this one, Okay for Now, earlier this summer and really enjoyed it.  I liked this one even more.  Mrs. Baker has to be one of the greatest fictional teachers ever.  I also really appreciated the historical fiction aspect of it--this isn't a time period I've read much about.  If you haven't read this one yet, I would highly recommend it.

Room 11's Pick of the Week
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I actually read Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehraupt a couple of weeks ago, but somehow I haven't written about it yet.  I shared it with my students on Friday.  Now this being the first week of school, we have really kicked things off with a bang and shared some pretty fantastic books.  On Friday afternoon, we voted for our favorite read aloud of the week, and this one was a runaway winner.  They begged me to read it again as soon as I had finished it.  We watched the trailer 3 times as well.  I have to say, I would echo their enthusiasm about it.  I actually brought it on a family picnic this weekend so my sister could read it.  She and my dad were both big fans.  If you haven't read this one yet, or if you haven't seen the trailer, you need to check them out.



What titles did your students really enjoy this week?

7 comments:

  1. Hi there Kate! Welcome back to school, glad to hear that it has been a productive week. I love books that come with warnings on them (reminds me of Walter Moers' City of Dreaming Books and Clive Barker's Mister B. Gone). I read Each Kindness several months ago and loved it. I read it aloud to my class of teacher-trainees and they loved it too. Have a great reading week!

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  2. It is good to be late to the party, IMHO, because you remind those who should remember the treasure once again! :) Can't wait to read Carnivores and Warning! Do Not Open this Book! Some day soon enough...

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  3. I love hearing what your students enjoyed this week! What a clever idea to have them vote for their favorite read-aloud of the week. I just ordered Carnivores (couldn't wait for my library to purchase) and might have to get Warning Do No Open This Book now as well!

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  4. I am impatiently waiting for CARNIVORES to show up on the hold shelf for me at my library.

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  5. Love Each Kindness. So did my students. I am excited to check out CARNIVORES.

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  6. I really need to read The Wednesday Wars, especially after hearing that you liked it more than Okay For Now (which I really loved)! I just finished Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and there is a fabulous fictional teacher in that one too! http://wp.me/pzUn5-1Fm

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  7. Reading this makes me want to read Wednesday Wars again. What a novel! And yes, what a teacher! I haven't shared Each Kindness with my kids yet. Look forward to doing so. Such a special book. Really reminds me of Hundred Dresses. Have you read this?

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