It's Monday, What Are You Reading? July 11, 2022

 

Please visit the amazing blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers who host this terrific meme each week.

Here are a couple books I read last week.  

We Are Shapes

by Melinda Beck

Published April, 2022

Phaidon Press

32 Pages

Board Book

Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

A playful and clever board book about shapes and teamwork by a two-time Emmy-nominated children's content creator at Nickelodeon

Pitch-perfect for a preschool audience, this board book introduces shapes and explores themes of teamwork and resilience. Square, rectangle, triangle, circle, squiggly and lumpy all work together to build a house. Each shape makes a unique contribution, and collectively they achieve something that they could not do alone. With an emphasis on interpersonal development, and visually inspired by the children's books created by Russian Constructivists, this is an artful, fresh take on the evergreen topic of shapes. This charming book teaches young readers everywhere that we are far stronger together than alone.

My Thoughts

I am already thinking about using this book in my library for K-1. It offers the concept work of shapes and the attributes of shapes while also capitalizing on the theme of teamwork. The illustrations are intentionally simplistic, and each shape has its own unique personality. This will be a book kids want to hear over and over again. 

Here are some other books I read last week. Click on the cover to go to the book's page on Goodreads. 

From the 2022-2023 Maine Student Book Award List

Loved this graphic novel for younger students from the author of Mel Fell. And it's a series! 

I am kind of obsessed with all the Elephant & Piggies Like Reading series. 

 

It's Show and Tell Dexter by Lindsay Ward

It's Show and Tell Dexter 
by Lindsay Ward
Published July 17, 2018
from Two Lions
32 pages
Fiction
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
Dexter T. Rexter is going to school. But will anyone like him?
Tomorrow is the biggest event ever in Dexter’s life: his best friend, Jack, is taking him to school for Show and Tell Day! Dexter has been getting ready for weeks. But now he’s a little nervous. What if the other kids don’t like him? So Dexter decides to come up with a plan. He’ll wear a costume. Dinosaurs in bunny ears look good, right? He’ll recite state capitals starting with…uh…ah…er. Then he realizes something. He can’t dance. He can’t recite things. He doesn’t have ANY skills. What’s a dino to do?
This comical, interactive tale of belonging, friendship, anticipation, and first-day-at-school jitters lets readers experience the excitement and nervousness along with Dexter—and even offer him a little advice along the way.

My Thoughts

This is "Dexter" book #2. I wrote about Don't Forget Dexter a little while back and just loved it. Now Dexter is back and is getting ready for show and tell. Well at least he hopes that his boy, Jack, will choose to bring him to share at show and tell. Dexter gets himself all worked up trying to find just the right costume, dance, other thing to better his chances of getting chosen. 
You will get no spoilers from me, but I will tell you that readers will be happy with the ending. 
This book offers young readers an opportunity to explore feelings such as worry or anxiety. It would lend itself to meaningful discussions. 

I would recommend It's Show and Tell Dexter for grades K-2.  

Check out the book trailer

See what others have to say about this book:

Publishers Weekly

Kirkus

Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive a copy of both Dexter T. Rexter books--Don’t Forget Dexter! and It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!, courtesy of Two Lions (U.S. addresses). Enter in the rafflecopter below. 

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A Round of Robins by Katie Hesterman and Sergio Ruzzier

A Round of Robins 
by Katie Hesterman 
Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier 
Published March, 2018
Nancy Paulsen Books
Hardcover
Poetry
40 pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
Sixteen fresh and funny poems welcome a new batch of robins to the world!
Food Fight
Jumble, jostle, rumble, squirm;
Dad has landed with a worm.
Game of tug-of-war begins--
Biggest bossy baby wins.

Mama's a skillful architect, constructing a sturdy nest, while Dad's a champion turf defender. And those hatchlings! Such fluffs of plump perfection!
Katie Hesterman's vibrant verse celebrates this awesome circle of bird life, as we follow a pair of robin parents from nest-building and egg-laying, to raising their hungry hatchlings, and finally sending off their flying fledglings. Sergio Ruzzier's brilliant, candy-colored art pays tribute to all these stages of a robin's life cycle, reminding us that while robins may be common, they are also extraordinary!

My Thoughts
This book chronicles Mama and Papa bird's journey to raise their little brood from nest construction to becoming empty nesters.  The book is written mostly in rhyming quatrains that are fun to read aloud. They are set in a variety of formats around the pages surrounded by the excellent illustrations.  Some pages contain wide landscapes full of color from edge to edge. Others show more of a close up view of isolated illustrations. The birds are adorable and kids get to watch their development from inside the egg to their first flight. What a great way to learn about the life cycle of robins!

Image from: https://www.amazon.com/Round-Robins-Katie-Hesterman/dp/0399547789

I would highly recommend A Round of Robins for your classroom, school or public library. It would be an fabulous addition to a poetry collection, part of a life cycle or bird unit. 

Pair with other fiction and nonfiction about robins. 

  

See what others have to say about this book:
Kirkus
Publishers Weekly

Pug Meets Pig by Sue Lowell Gallion and Joyce Wan

Pug Meets Pig 
by Sue Lowell Gallion
Illustrated by Joyce Wan
Published Sept. 27, 2016
Beach Lane Books
40 pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

An unlikely pair—a pug and a pig!—realize that it’s better to be together.

Pug is a very happy pup. He has his own yard, his own bowl, and even his own cozy bed! That is, until Pig moves in and starts eating from Pug’s bowl, interrupting Pug’s routine, and, worst of all, sleeping in Pug’s bed. Will Pug and Pig ever learn to live together as friends?

This sweet and silly story about a darling duo celebrates the timeless themes of embracing change, being kind to others, and finding friends in unlikely places.

My Thoughts
This book had me with its cover. The big, adorable faces of Pug and Pig will have kids begging to read this book. The text is simplistic and predictable. I can see little ones asking to hear it over and over again. 
Pug Meets Pig shows that feelings can change and there is always room for another friend. There is always room for more happiness. 
I would describe the illustrations as smooth and chunky. The characters have faces that you just want to squeeze. 

I would highly recommend Pug Meets Pig for children ages 2-6. 

Image from simonandschuster.com

See what others have to say about this book:
Kirkus

Visit Sue Gallion's website and view the activity kit which includes resources for teachers.
Visit Joyce Wan's website. 

Enter to win a copy of the book and a Pug Meets Pig tennis ball and doggie treat. 

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