It's Monday! What are you reading?

Every Monday bloggers all over the web sharing their reading lives. Thanks to Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers for hosting this meme!

Picture Book month is the perfect time to get my blogging life back on track!

My daughter, Grace is a book-lover and has an eye for special books that may be overlooked by other readers.  She could not wait to bring Buddy and Earl home as her library book last week!  Buddy doesn't know what's in the box that Meredith brings home one day.  After questioning the small, prickly creature, Earl tells Buddy he is a pirate!  Together these two unlikely friends begin a funny and imaginative adventure.  Grace and I savored the humor in Buddy and Earl's questions and the discovery of a new friend in an unexpected encounter.  I highly recommend this book as a wonderful read aloud.  We can't wait to get our hands on the Buddy and Earl books in 2016!

If I Built a Car is a family favorite so I was quick to purchase If I Built a House a few weeks ago at a conference with Chris Van Dusen.  In this sequel, Jack is building the house of his dreams, complete with a racetrack, flying room, and gigantic slide.  Chris Van Dusen's books beg to be read aloud with their fun rhyming text.  I would love to share this book in classrooms to spark imagination and creativity!

I have always been a huge fan of Kevin Henkes.  I was excited to get a copy of his newest title after seeing it frequently recommended on Twitter!  Each of the characters in the book are waiting for something to happen.  I love that this book encourages characters to find the joy in waiting.  The illustrations are beautiful and should be read closely.  Our favorite reading moment was the unexpected arrival of cat and the last line that reminds us to always be waiting to see what will happen next.

Wolf is one of my all-time favorite picture books and my most recommended book this month with teachers.  It's the perfect mentor text for a strategy lesson on fluency, as Wolf learns to read smoothly with expression.  Wolf is on a quest to learn to read in order to impress a group of farm educated farm animals.  After a great deal of practice, he becomes "a master" with the help of a beautiful storybook. My absolute favorite line in the book is when Wolf "read with confidence and passion", which is the heart of fluency.  I love using this book as part of a CAE lesson with readers of all ages!

Professional Reading

I just started Reading Nonfiction: Notice and Note Stances, Signposts and Strategies this weekend.  I am finding myself reading it in digestible bites. Kylene Beers and Bob Probst are definitely stretching my thinking! This book has so much to offer to our upper elementary teachers!  I can't wait to share it in our staff Children's Literature book study, through professional development and during my classroom coaching sessions.

I loved reading this text this summer as I prepared for my new role as a literacy coach in our K-2 building.  This week I am enjoying my return to this text as I prepare to lead professional development next week on connecting vocabulary and close reading in the primary grades.  I know this book has a lot to offer to our primary teachers!

Other Books in my Stack

I started Milo Speck a few weeks ago and was absolutely loving the book, until my ten year old son stole it from my nightstand!  Jacob devoured this book in a week and has highly recommended that I finish reading it.  I am looking forward to rejoining Milo on his adventures in Ogregon!