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:

Terrific Tongues  by Maria Gianferrari  Illustrated by Jia Liu

Did you know that tongues can be like a sword, straw, nose, whip or even a windshield wiper?   I learned so much from reading Terrific Tongues, an amazing non-fiction picture book which teaches readers fascinating facts about an important organ.

I absolutely love the format of this fabulous text.  Maria Gianferrari introduces each animal with an if and a might.  For example, if you have a tongue like a mop, you might be a…. Readers turn the page to discover not only the animal but also a short description of how the animal’s tongue is similar to its comparison.  Jia Liu’s lively illustrations literally jump off the page;  I especially love the monkey’s facial expressions and emotions as each new animal is introduced.  Readers of all ages will enjoy Terrific Tongues from start to finish.  At the end of the book, there are additional facts about tongues, which will make readers tongue-tied with all the incredible facts!

A very special thanks to Maria Gianferrari for sending an ARC of Terrific Tongues to my #bookexcursion group. Since I sponsor a second grade class for #classroombookaday, I am always in search of nonfiction picture books to read and share with students.  Look no further than Terrific Tongues!  It publishes in April 2018 so pre-order now to secure your copy!

Anna, Banana and the Friendship Split by Anica Mrose Rissi Illustrated by Meg Park

In the first book of the series, Anna is excited about celebrating her birthday with her best friend Sadie and her dog, Banana.  She knows her birthday wish-a trip to Water World.  Right before she blows out her candles, Sadie tells Anna to wish for a pony.  Because Anna cannot say no to Sadie, she changes her wish at the last minute. Surprisingly, Anna receives a pony necklace from her grandparents, which Sadie now feels is half hers.

Being a good friend, Anna lets Sadie wear the necklace.  Not long after, the best friends get into an awful fight with Sadie leaving wearing the necklace.  The next day at school, Sadie ignores Anna and acts like their friendship never existed.  Anna desperately wants to save their friendship, but she wonders… what if Sadie no longer wants to be friends?

Anna, Banana and the Friendship Split is a realistic story about friendship. Like Anna, I am a pleaser and always want to fix things. With her mom’s help, Anna realizes that sometimes friends need a break from each other, and it is possible to have more than one friend.  This is a good lesson for children to learn because all true friendships have their ups and downs.  I can’t wait to share the Anna, Banana series with my transitional readers.

Our Featured Dog Selection of the Week:

The Very Very Very Long Dog by Julie Patton

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

Bartelby is a lucky dog. He lives in a bookstore; he loves his home, his walks, and his friends.  Bartelby’s only problem is he is very, very long.  So long in fact that his walks create mess, calamity, and chaos.  Poor Bartelby did not realize that it was his bottom causing all the mayhem.  When he discovers his rear is the culprit, he is devastated.  Fortunately for Bartelby, he has amazing friends who research and devise a plan to solve his problem.

The Very, Very, Long Dog is such a perfect read aloud!  Children will instantly fall in love with adorable Bartelby and feel empathy for him when he discovers his long coming (Oops! I mean shortcoming). Julia Patton’s illustrations are so endearing and charmingly depict Bartelby’s and his friends’ range of emotions throughout the story.

Thanks for visiting Beagles & Books. Have a great week. Happy Reading!