It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/4/17

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 Boy and the Blue Moon by Sara O’Leary Illustrated by Ashley Crowley

Blue moons are rare; therefore, it is no surprise that extraordinary things can happen when they occur.

On the night of the blue moon, a boy and his cat take their usual walk through the forest but tonight, their journey is a little different.  The boy hears a song first from the blue bells and then from the waves in a lake that magically appears.  At the edge of the water, the boy and the cat find a boat. They row to the middle of the lake where the moon becomes within their reach. Remembering that anything can happen on the night of a blue moon, the boy (and the cat too) wish extra hard that they can go to the moon, and magically their wish comes true.

Sara Crowley has written a beautiful story for wishers and dreamers.  After reading the last page, it reminds me that that our dreams can become reality if we believe in ourselves. Ashley Crowley’s illustrations are absolutely breaktaking and gorgeous.  I especially love that Crowley’s illustrations of the cat hinted that this particular night was going to be special.

Special thanks to Christian Trimmer and Mark Podesta of Henry Holt and Company Books for Young Readers for providing my #bookexcursion group with an Advance Reader’s Edition of The Boy and the Blue Moon. It will be released in February 2018.

Jasmine Toguchi: Mochi Queenby Debbi Michiko Florence Illustrated by Elizabet Vukoric

Being the younger sister is no fun for Jasmine. Her big sister Sophie always bosses her around and gets to do everything first including rolling mochi balls, a New Year’s tradition with all the women in the family. If she can’t help the women, Jasmine comes up with a new plan; she will join the men in the tradition of pounding the mochi rice.

To prove she is tough enough, Jasmine works on strengthening her arm muscles by washing dishes and hanging on branches. After a run in with her mean cousin Eddie, Jasmine finally appeals to her dad and shares her wishes to pound, not roll mochi. Will her dad agree and let Jasmine break tradition?

I love that Jasmine is an independent thinker and is determined to break the silly rule that only boys can pound mochi. Like Beatrice Zinker, I cannot wait to share the Jasmine Toguchi series with my second grade literacy lunch bunch. Jasmine teaches an important lesson that strength does not come from your arm muscles; it comes from believing in yourself! Looking forward to read Jasmine’s next adventures in Super Sleuth and Drummer Girl!

Our Featured Dog Selection of the Week: 

Floatyby John Himmelman

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

Mr. Raisin is a grumpy curmudgeon who only likes to sew.  One day, a basket appears on his doorstep.  When Mr. Raisin opens the basket, he thinks it’s empty until he sees a puppy floating along his ceiling.  At first, Mr. Raisin does not wish to keep the dog but then realizes the puppy will float away.  He brings the dog inside and slowly develops an affection for the dog, which he aptly names Floaty.

One morning on a walk, Floaty’s leash snaps, and the dog floats away.  Mr. Raisin is devastated that his dog disappears into the sky.  Finally admitting his fondness for Floaty, he makes several attempts to rescue him which fail.  But don’t fret, Mr. Raisin soon realizes the perfect way to bring Floaty home!

Floaty is both a hilarious and heartfelt story that teaches us sometimes the best things in life happen unexpectedly and we must welcome those surprises.  John Himmelman’s bold and colorful illustrations convey how Mr. Raisin’s changes in the story and how his love for Floaty grows.

Special thanks to Christian Trimmer and Mark Podesta of Henry Holt and Company Books for Young Readers for providing my #bookexcursion group with a preview copy of Floaty, which will be released in January 2018.

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