Month: November 2017

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give it a #kidlit focus and encourage everyone who participates to visit at least 3 of the other #kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Our Reads This Week:

Beatrice Zinker Upside Down Thinkerby Shelly Johannes

I had the great privilege of reading an ARC of Beatrice this past July and fell in love with her and her way of looking at the world!  I host literacy lunch bunches with students where we enjoy our food and talk about books.  There are 3 second grade students who are obsessed with Junie B. Jones and have pretty much read all the books in the series.  So of course, I knew which book to recommend for our next read-Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker!

It isn’t easy being an upside down thinker in the right side up Zinker family.  Beatrice has always been different and focused on the MAYBEs, WHAT-IFS,  and COULD-BES.  Luckily, Beatrice’s best friend, Lenny is ready and willing to join her in Operation Upside by wearing her matching black ninja suit to school on the first day of third grade.

But when an imposter Lenny walks into Mrs. Tamarack’s classroom, Beatrice cannot believe her eyes.  Why is Lenny wearing a skirt and a sparkly pink sweater instead of all black?  Where are her green glasses?  And to make matters worst, Lenny gets to sit next to her new friend Chloe in class while Beatrice’s desk is right under her teacher’s nose.  Suddenly, Beatrice realizes her friendship is in trouble and she needs to think and act quickly to save Operation Upside.

I cannot wait to meet with my students and talk about Beatrice.  She teaches us great lessons about having the courage to be yourself- true friends will always appreciate your uniqueness!

Shark Nate-O by Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie  Illustrated by Daniel Duncan

Nate LOVES sharks!  Because Nate knows lots of cool facts about sharks, his nickname is Shark Nate-O. But Nate has a one slight problem-he can’t swim.  How can he really be a  shark if he can’t swim?

Luckily, Nate has a plan-swimming lessons!  At first, swimming does not come easy to Nate, and he needs a lot of support and rescuing from Coach Debra.  But Nate reminds himself that sharks are fearless and he does not give up.  Soon Nate is ripping through the water like a speedy mako shark.  While Nate is proud that he can swim on his own,  his ultimate goal is to become a member of the Amity Sharks swim team like his brother, Alex.  Can Nate live up to his nickname Shark Nate-O?

An added bonus is Nate shares some of his shark facts at the end of the book, which will definitely encourage readers to research sharks on their own.  A very special thanks to Tara Luebbe for sending an advance copy of Shark Nate-O to Beagles and Books, which I have shared with my #bookexcursion group. Preorder now, for Shark Nate-O will be published in April 2018.

To read my full review, please click here.

The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman

Fish and Snail are friends.  Every day, Fish comes home with a new story to share with Snail.  But this time is different.  Fish wants to show, not tell Snail the new book.  Snail is not adventurous like Fish and wishes to stay put.  An argument ensues and Fish decides to jump out of the current book for the new story.

Snail realizes that their book cannot be The Story of Fish and Snail with no Fish.  So Snail has a difficult decision to make.  Can Snail leave its comfort zone and take a leap of faith with Fish?

The Fish and the Snail is a true story of friendship.  Friends don’t always agree and disagreements do occur.  But real friends find a common ground and are willing to compromise.

Freedman’s illustrations are absolutely gorgeous using a mix of both color and black and white. She perfectly captures the emotions of each character.  As a reader, you truly feel a part of Fish and Snail’s story because as their conflict heightens, the illustrations become larger.  After my first read, I found myself revisiting each page to enjoy the illustrations once more.

Our Featured Dog Selection of the Week:

Penny & Jelly: The School Show by Maria Gianferrari Illustrated by Thyra Heder

Wanting to spread the dog love, Beagles and Books has a new weekly feature by highlighting a literary selection with a canine main character.

Peabody Elementary is hosting a talent show and everyone is ready to perform except Penny.  While her classmates plan on singing, dancing or both,  Penny is not sure of her talent.  With the support of her best fur friend, Jelly, Penny makes a list of possible talents, but unfortunately, none of them seem to be the right fit.  She continues to brainstorm and try out other ideas.  Will Penny find her true talent in time for the show?

I absolutely love the friendship between Penny and Jelly; the illustrations truly capture their love for one another.  Penny teaches young readers perseverance because she does not give up and learns that her talent was always there; she just had to find it with Jelly’s help of course!  Now, next on my to be read list is Penny and Jelly Under the Stars. Looking forward to their next continued adventures together!

Etta, Bella, and I thank you for visiting Beagles and Books.  Have a great week!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give it a #kidlit focus and encourage everyone who participates to visit at least 3 of the other #kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Our Reads This Week:

The Art of the Swap by Kristine Asselin & Jen Malone

The Art of the Swap is an intriguing and inventive mystery of two 12 year-old girls who switch places in time. Hannah Jordan lives in the present day at The Elms,  a mansion-turned-museum with her caretaker father. Margaret Dunlap, known as Maggie, is an American heiress in 1905 who spends time at the Elms as a guest of her aunt and uncle.  By way of a mysterious mirror, Hannah and Maggie swap places with each other.  Hannah goes back in time to 1905 whereas Maggie lands in the modern world.

At first, Hannah and Maggie are unsure of why the switch occurred.  Soon they realize that the swap took place on the very day that Maggie’s portrait painted by the now famous Mary Cassatt was stolen before its unveiling at a grand party at the Elms. Hannah and Maggie must collaborate quickly to solve the legendary art heist in order to return to their proper places.

What I love most about the novel is how the authors depict how the role of girls/women have changed over the last century.  Through the swap, Maggie does not want to be known as spoiled and useless, would rather read than sew, and relishes the fact that she can wear trousers, run, and climb trees in 2017.  Meanwhile, Hannah realizes that she has been raised to have a very different mindset-she can do and be anything.  She admits to Maggie that while women have equal rights on paper, women still have to earn them in people’s hearts.  Both girls learn an important lesson about their purposes in life and how they can each make a lasting contribution to society, which to quote Hannah and later Maggie is pretty cool!

Special thanks to Kristine Asselin and Simon & Schuster/Aladdin for sending an ARC of The Art of the Swap to our #bookexcursion group. It will be published in February 2018.

To read my full review, click here.

Max and Bird by Ed Vere

Max, wants to be friends with Bird, but there is a slight problem.  Being a cat, Max wants to chase and then perhaps eat Bird.  Bird is not pleased with the nature of their friendship and explains to Max that “friends have fun together and help each other out.”  Max agrees to help Bird learn how to fly and then they can talk about chasing and the other stuff (like eating, I suppose).

But how does a cat help a bird learn to fly?  Go to the library, of course! They learned that there are 3 simple steps to flying.  Unfortunately, the steps do not work for Bird or Max.  Luckily for Bird, the friends run into Pigeon for some advice.  In a short time, Bird is successful. But wait, does that mean Max will now chase and eat Bird?

I absolutely love the Max series.  Max is simply adorable with his big eyes and wagging tail.  I also love that Max makes a pro and con list of eating Bird.  While Bird may be tasty, Max would then be without a friend.  Of course,  friendship wins ( as it always should) so I hope there are more Max and Bird adventures to come!

Bear and Chicken by Jannie Ho

On a walk, a hungry Bear finds a chicken frozen in the snow.  Bear takes Chicken home to a warm fire for defrosting.  When Chicken wakes up, Bear says “You are just in time.”  “Just in time for what?” thinks Chicken.  But when Chicken sees a huge pot of water boiling and Bear chopping herbs and vegetables, she assumes she knows what is up.  Quickly. Chicken runs for her life out back into the cold woods.  Was Chicken’s suspicion correct or did she misjudge Bear?

At the end of the book, the author includes a recipe for Bear’s Vegetable Soup (Oops! spoiler) as well as facts about black bears.  I highly recommend Bear and Chicken to teach children not to judge book by its cover or more specifically, a Bear by his cooking!

Featured Dog Selection of the Week:

Antoinette by Kelly DiPucchio Illustrated by Christian Robinson

Wanting to spread the dog love, Beagles and Books has a new weekly feature by highlighting a literary selection with a canine main character.

Antoinette is the follow-up to the beloved picture book, Gaston.  In this story, Mrs. Bulldog knows all her puppies are special.  Antoinette’s brothers know their strengths, but she isn’t so sure yet.  Mrs. Bulldog encourages Antoinette to keep her chin up because she will discover her talent in time.

During their daily trip to the park, Antoinette’s sister, Oh-La-La disappears chasing a butterfly.  While her brothers try to use their talents to locate her, they are unsuccessful.  Antoinette not does give up her search for Oh-La-La and not only locates and saves her sister, but also finds her special talent.

Like Gaston, Antoinette teaches us that we must celebrate our differences.  In addition, it teaches children the power of yet.  Finding your talent may take time; therefore, the lesson is never give up!  DiPucchio and Robinson are a truly fabulous team!  DiPucchio’s story is uplifting and positive, and Robinson’s warm and detailed illustrations make readers want to linger and savor each picture before turning the page.

Etta, Bella, and I thank you for visiting Beagles and Books.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give it a #kidlit focus and encourage everyone who participates to visit at least 3 of the other #kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Our Reads This Week:

Hoot & Olive by Jonathan Voss

Reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, Hoot & Olive is a heartwarming story about best friends. While Olive only likes adventures in books,  Hoot, a stuffed animal owl, enjoys real life adventures such as a hot air balloon ride and a boat ride down a river.

The great thing about having a best friend is that you support each other in times of need.  When Olive expresses fear during their adventures, Hoot tells Olive that he can be brave enough for both of them. In turn, when Hoot is not feeling well, Olive takes over and gets them safely home.

Voss’ illustrations are absolutely breathtaking and beautifully convey the warm, tender friendship between Hoot and Olive. I sincerely hope that there are more Hoot & Olive adventures to come.

Special thanks to author illustrator Jonathan Voss and Christian Trimmer at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers for sending an ARC of Hoot & Olive to our #bookexcursion group. Publication is set for August 2018; therefore, I feel privileged and honored to have had an advanced opportunity to read this enchanting and captivating picture book.

Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard

Thanks to her mechanic Grandpa, Robinson Hart can pretty much fix any car.  What is harder though to fix is her temper.  Robinson a.k.a. Robbie wants to act more like her name sake professional baseball player Jackie Robinson, but someone has to put bully Alex Carter in his place especially since he makes fun of her name and her family.

Family is a touchy subject for Robbie who has to create a family tree for a class assignment.  Grandpa has raised her since she was an infant and is not willing to tell her much about her mom.  On top of all this, Grandpa is getting more forgetful, which adds more worry.

To help with her anger, the guidance counselor, Ms. Gloria includes Robbie in a guidance group which also includes Alex.  Little does Robbie know that this group will make her realize that she is not the only one with family struggles.

Just Like Jackie is a bittersweet story that reminds us that family is not about blood but rather “family is the people who push you to be the best version of yourself and love you no matter what.”  What a wonderful message to share with readers most especially those who may relate to Robbie’s unconventional and loving family.

Special thanks to Lindsey Stoddard for providing our #bookexcursion group with an ARC of Just Like Jackie, which will be released in January 2018.

Read the Book, Lemmings by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Zachariah OHora

While reading the book, Everything About Lemmings, Foxy learns that lemmings don’t jump off cliffs. Apparently, the lemmings are not privy to this valuable information because every time they hear the word JUMP, the lemmings immediately jump off the boat while shouting GERONIMO!

Foxy soon concludes that lemmings not only cannot swim but also cannot read.  He promises to teach them and finally, the lemmings learn that they don’t jump off cliffs, right?  You’ll have to read to find out!

Whenever Ame and Zachariah collaborate, fun is an absolute guarantee! Like the lemmings, I am jumping at the chance to share this hilarious and adorably illustrated read aloud with students!   As a teacher, I also love the fact that students can also research the behavior of these cute and sweet lemmings!

Etta, Bella & I️ thank you for visiting Beagles & Books. Happy Reading!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give it a #kidlit focus and encourage everyone who participates to visit at least 3 of the other #kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Our Reads for the Week

Paper Chains by Elaine Vickers

Paper Chains is a tender novel told from the perspective of two best friends, Katie and Ana who are both keeping secrets from each other.

Katie’s teacher says every story has a beginning, but she wonders what if you don’t know your beginning? Katie’s secret is that she is adopted.  While she deeply loves her adoptive parents, most recently, Katie has begun to think about her birth parents.   Katie does not feel brave enough to confide in Ana.

Ana is Katie’s best friend.  Her father, a professional hockey player, was traded to another team and has left their family behind, which has caused Ana’s mother to be depressed and withdrawn. As a result,  Ana takes on the role of caring for her little brother Mikey and feels responsible to make her family whole again. Ana’s secret is that she is a little envious of the picture perfect life she believes Katie has.

But as anyone knows, keeping secrets can lead to misunderstandings between friends.  Will Katie and Ana be able to regain eac other’s trust and mend their friendship?

Paper Chains is not only a story about family and friendship, but also about finding out who you really are.  As Katie realizes, it doesn’t matter how you start out.  What matters is what you do with the rest of your life.  You are in charge of your story.

Special thanks to Elaine Vickers for providing our #bookexcursion group with an advance reader copy of Paper Chains, which was released in October 2017.

Dough Knights and Dragons by Dee Leone  Illustrated by George Ermos

Due to their collective love for cooking and baking, an unlikely friendship blossoms between a knight and a dragon.  Unfortunately for the pair, friendship is forbidden between knights and dragons.  In fact, when a knight comes of an age by law, he is expected to engage in duel to the death with a dragon.  As that day approaches, the now inseparable pair have an ingenuous idea.  Together they collaborate on a plan to stay true to the law without harming each other.

Told in rhyme, Dough Knights and Dragons is pure delight to read aloud to students.  Thanks to Dee Leone’s precise choice of words, students will also be exposed to rich vocabulary on each page of the story.  George Ermo’s illustrations convey the warm and tender relationship between the knight and the dragon.  Dough Knights and Dragons is a delicious and enchanting story that teaches that friendship comes in all shapes and sizes.
Special thanks to Dee Leone for a copy of Dough Knights and Dragons through a Twitter giveaway. It was released in October 2017.

The Secrets of Ninja School by Deb Pilutti

“Saplings” come to Master Willow’s School for Ninjas to learn many skills but the most important skill is to discover their own secret talent. Most saplings are quick learners, but Ruby is unfortunately having difficulty being invisible, skillful, patient,  and brave.  While Ruby is worried she will never be a ninja, Master Willow encourages her to continue to practice.

One night Ruby is especially homesick and her fellow saplings scold her for not having courage. As Ruby share why she misses her family, all the saplings begin to cry.  At that very moment, Ruby realizes she has the skills to calm her friends and discovers her secret talent!

The Secrets of Ninja School is a heart warming story which teaches children that everyone has their own talent.  It just takes patience and practice to discover it!

Special thanks to Deb Pilutti for providing our #bookexcursion group with an advance reader’s edition of The Secrets of Ninja School, which will be released in March 2018.

Simon’s New Bed by Christian Trimmer Illustrated by Melissa Van der Paardt

Simon is excited about his new bed.  When he returns from his walk, Simon realizes he has a problem.  A cat named Miss Adora Belle has claimed his bed.  At first Simon is polite, but has to resort to other measures such as barking,  physically moving his bed, playing tricks, and even begging.  Finally, Simon discovers the only workable solution-sharing the bed.

Etta can related to Simon’s predicament.  With new sister Bella, Etta has had to be flexible sharing dog beds.  As a read aloud, Simon’s New Bed is a great way to teach or reinforce how character may not solve a problem right away. The story also teaches a valuable lesson about how compromise can have positive effects.

Etta, Bella, and I thank you for visiting Beagles and Books.  Happy Reading!