It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/21/19

Beagles and Books is excited to share another edition of 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 Recent Reads: 

Unicorn Is Maybe Not So Great After All by Bob Shea

It’s been a long wait, but the unstoppable team of Unicorn and Goat are back!  It’s the first day of school and Unicorn is being upstaged by the latest craze-rubber bands that look like well anything circular.  Feeling like a yawn-icorn, Unicorn decides a transformation is the key to regaining the spotlight. Unicorn does get noticed, but the attention is NOT positive which leaves Unicorn feeling even worse.  How can Unicorn gets his mojo back and make up with his friends?

Like Unicorn Thinks He Is Pretty Great, this highly anticipated follow up teaches valuable lessons on self-acceptance, forgiveness, and friendship.  Special thanks to Dina Sherman of Disney Book Group for sharing a F & G with my #bookexcursion group.  This pretty great picture book releases in July 2019 so plan ahead!

The Night Library by David Zeltser Illustrated by Raul Colon

Were you ever disappointed by a gift you received as a child?  In The Night Library, a boy about to turn eight is less than elated to receive his early birthday present-a book.  During his restless sleep, the boy is visited by Patience and Fortitude, the lions who guard the New York Public Library.   Soon he is touring the library with the lions rediscovering the magic of books and how they connect us with the ones we love, even those who are no longer with us.

Zeltser’s poetic writing coupled with Colon’s gorgeous artwork makes The Night Library a must read.  An author’s note shares the history of Patience and Fortitude.  I can’t wait to share this story about the power of books with my students.  Special thanks to Random House Kids for sending a F & G to my #bookexcursion group.  The Night Library publishes in April 2019.

 

Yasmin the Zookeeper by Saadia Faruji Illustrated by Hatem Aly

Yasmin is back with 4 new books for young readers to enjoy!  In this adventure, Yasmin is excited about her school field trip to the zoo.   I can relate to Yasmin’s enthusiasm about riding a school bus!  Like her, I never rode a bus to school so the ride alone was thrilling to me!  During the field trip, the class get to see the animals up close. While Yasmin is overjoyed when she is picked to help feed the monkeys, a mishap occurs that requires some quick problem solving.  Luckily, Yasmin thinks fast on her feet which makes her zoo trip one she will always remember!

Yasmin is one of my favorite series to recommend to my readers transitioning to chapter books.  Author Saadia Faruqi has created an inquisitive character that young students can easily relate, for some of Yasmin’s experiences mirror their own.  Young readers can not only learn about another culture within the text but also with the backmatter includes Urdu vocabulary and Pakistani facts.  Aly’s bold illustrations of Yasmin clearly show her exuberant personality and her curiosity.

To view all the titles in the Yasmin series, please click here.  Like me, you will need to order them all! And while you are purchasing, pre-order Yasmin in Charge, which will be released in March 2019.

Etta’s & Bella’s Dog Pick of the Week:

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

Fenway and Hattie in the Wild by Victoria J. Coe

Of course, dog books hold a special place in my heart so an opportunity to read the upcoming Fenway and Hattie adventure is a truly honor.  When I found out In the Wild is the last book in the series (at least for a while), the reading became more bittersweet.

Fenway, Hattie, Food Lady and Fetch Man join next door neighbor Angel, her parents and of course pups Patches and Goldie on their annual camping trip.  Being newcomers to the campgrounds, both Fenway and Hattie are navigating new relationships and experiences.  In the woods, a Pomeranian named Coco is the boss and if you step on her paws as Fenway discovers, you’re in trouble.  Hattie, on the other hand, nervous about starting a new school is caught between being one of the “crew” with Angel and her friends and hanging with book loving June who shares an interest in her drawings.  Smelling trouble whenever a boy named Marcus is around, the ever loyal Fenway is determined to protect his girl Hattie from danger even if it means jumping into a pond. And to make matters worst, someone is stealing food from the campsite.  Coco has declared herself in charge of the investigation and this does not sit well with Fenway.

While I have enjoyed all of the books in the series, I think In the Wild may very well be my favorite. Victoria Coe’s fabulous writing mixes humor with heart revealing both Fenway’s and Hattie’s struggle with fitting in and how ultimately, they realize the only way to be happy is to stay true to themselves.  Special thanks to Lisa Maucione who won a copy of the manuscript and shared it with our #bookexcursion group.  And a heartfelt thank you to Victoria Coe for creating the Fenway & Hattie series.  Pre-order now, for In the Wild releases in May 2019.

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