It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/3/19

Beagles and Books is excited to share our current reads in 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 Current Reads:

The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue by Karina Yan Glaser

Once you meet the Vanderbeekers, you instantly fall in love with this family! So blessed to have the opportunity to read an ARC of the eagerly anticipated The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue, which is the third book in this beloved series.

It may be spring break but the Vanderbeekers’ schedule is jam packed! Isa is prepping for a violin audition and Oliver can’t wait to build a treehouse with Uncle Arthur. The most exciting news of all is Mama’s cookie business will be featured in an upcoming issue for Perch Magazine and the brownstone needs to be photo shoot ready.  But when an inspection of Mama’s baking business uncovers serious violations, the kids need to think and work fast without Mama and Papa knowing.  And while the Vanderbeekers are huge animal lovers, the animals that mysteriously appear at their door every morning are making their job even harder.

If you know the Vanderbeekers, you know that when epic mistakes are made, they band together to problem solve. Better yet, when one sibling feels defeated, another sibling reminds another to think positive.  And their actions speak louder than words, for as neighbor Miss Josie beautifully states “From where I am standing, I see five kids who are growing up and wanting to do good in the world. And that fills me with hope.”  Reading the Vanderbeekers always warm my heart and soul because of their genuine kindness toward others and their love for their community.

Special thanks to Karina Yan Glaser and Houghton Mifflin Publishing for sharing an ARC for my #bookexcursion group.  The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue publishes in September 2019.

Moon: Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty Illustrated by Stevie Lewis

The second grade class I adopted for #classroombookaday this year absolutely loves McAnulty’s Earth and Sun so I was so grateful to get an advanced reader’s edition (ARE) of Moon to read aloud before the school year ends.

McAnulty’s Our Universe series is a blend of fiction and non-fiction which is highly engaging for read aloud.  Playfully narrated by Moon, readers learn facts about the moon’s formation and its close relationship with Earth.  While I knew Earth depended on the Moon, McAnulty’s lively text and Lewis’ adorable illustrations help even me better understand space science concepts such as rotation and gravity. I love how even as an adult, I can learn from reading picture books!

After reading Moon, several students crossing their fingers eagerly asked “Is there another picture book in the series? When I visited the Macmillan website, I saw a new title, Dude, I Am Ocean slated for release in spring 2020.

Special thanks to Christian Trimmer of Henry Holt/Macmillan Kids for sharing an ARE of Moon, which releases soon on June 11, 2019.  

Rosie the Dragon and Charlie Make Waves! by Lauren Kerstein Illustrated by

Searching for a fun summer read?  Look no further than Rosie the Dragon and Charlie Make Waves!   Written by debut author Lauren Kerstein, this lively picture book provides a splash of entertainment after a hot day at the beach, pool or park.  To read my full review and enter a giveaway, please click here.

Flora’s Tree House by Gabriel Alborozo

Flora’s little brother Will has no idea that his imaginative play inspires her artwork.  Content with her sketches, she retreats to her tree house to hang up her latest masterpiece.  When Will follows her, he quickly discovers that his fantasy world is the subject of all of Flora’s drawings.  As Flora shares and explains her illustrations, the siblings bond realizing that it is even more fun to collaborate to create new and exciting adventures together.  On the very last pages, the tree house becomes a boat on rough seas and Flora joins Will in his latest romp. 

Beautifully drawn, Flora’s Tree House is a charming story about the power of imagination and how play is much more fun with a partner.  Special thanks to Christian Trimmer of Henry Holt/Macmillan Kids for sharing an ARC. Flora’s Tree House recently celebrated its book birthday on May 28, 2019.

Etta and 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.

Spunky Tells All by Ann Cameron Illustrated by Lauren Castillo

I have always been a fan of Ann Cameron’s Julian and Huey series so imagine my surprise when I discovered there was a book told from the perspective of the family dog, Spunky.    Of course, Spunky loves the Bates family and knows they love him back.  Occasionally, there are misunderstandings but that is because humans do not understand the language of dog.  This language barrier causes the Bates family to think Huey needs a companion.  Rather than get another dog, the family decides to adopt a cat named Fiona.  Much to Spunky’s dismay, Fiona disrupts his normal routine so much that he refers to his old life as B.F.-Before Fiona and A.F.-After Fiona.  Fiona accompanies the family on daily walks, eats his food and drinks his water and has the audacity to join him and Huey in their Blanket Cave.  Will Spunky and Fiona ever get along?  

At only 106 pages,  Spunky Tells All is a great story for readers transitioning to chapter books or it would be an excellent and engaging read aloud.  In addition, Lauren Castillo’s expressive black and white drawings complement the text helping young readers better understand Spunky and Fiona.

Thank you for visiting Beagles & Books! Happy reading!