It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I was grateful for the chance to spend a lot of time reading during our school vacation this week. I finished 22 books, including 15 nonfiction titles!  Although I loved all of the titles, I'm going to share just a few of my favorites from the week!

Thanks to Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers for hosting this meme!

Pax is sure to be one of the best books of 2016!  I'm always on the look out for read aloud recommendations for our upper elementary teachers.  For me, a sign of a great read aloud is that it can lead to deep conversations that continue long after the last page.  I know that students would be completely invested in the characters in this beautiful story.  One of my favorite features of this book is the way Sara Pennypacker alternated perspectives between Pax's journey and Peter's quest to reunite with his beloved fox.  I highly recommend that you move this book to the top of your reading pile, if you have not read it yet!

Snappsy The Alligator Did Not Ask to Be in This Book! will be a fun read aloud in both primary and upper elementary classrooms!  This book begs to be read aloud multiple times as students process the relationship between Snappsy and the nosy narrator.  I hope that Julie Falatko is planning create more adventures for Snappsy!

I loved reading books from the Piper Green and  The Princess in Black series with Grace this week!  Both of these series would be great read aloud recommendations for primary grade teachers.

I  can't wait to share Finding Winnie with students and teachers!  The illustrations are completely deserving of the Caldecott Medal.  The true story behind Winnie's adventures with Harry, as well as his time with Christopher Robin at the zoo, will capture the attention of readers of all ages!  I love the way Lindsay Mattick weaves the conversations with her son, Cole, into the text.  The inclusion of Harry's artifacts and photographs in the album at the end of the book brings this true story to life.  My favorite line is when Lindsey explains to Cole, "Sometimes you have to let one story end so the next one can begin."  What a beautiful message to share with our children.

Handle With Care was one of my favorite informational texts that I read this week.  The photographs are incredible and truly enrich the text.  Teachers are always on the look out for nonfiction books with strong examples of text features.  I'm looking forward to sharing this book with our children's literature book study group next week!

I am adding Mesmerized  to my list of all-time favorite informational books!  There are so many ways that this book can be shared with readers.  My favorite features are Mara Rockliff's use of voice and the way that Iacopo Bruno arranged the text with brilliant illustrations!  Although I am going to first share this text with our fifth grade teachers who are studying the Revolutionary War, I think that students of all ages will enjoy this engaging story.

Currently Reading

I am almost done The War That Saved My Life.  I'm anxious to see if Ada and Jaime stay with Miss Smith or return to their Mam in London! This beautiful book will pull at your heart strings.

I'm grateful to my friend, Jennifer Allen, for this book recommendation. I'm looking forward to sharing it with our primary teachers in a few weeks as we spend time talking about small group instruction and ways to support our striving readers.