It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kid lit focus. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kid lit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

It has been too long since I joined up with this wonderful community and I am hoping to participate again on a weekly basis.

Here’s what I have been reading in the past month or so…

The Visitor by Antje Damm, Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer (Gecko Press, 2018) - I missed this in 2018 and so glad I found it. Truly a special story.

The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates, Juniper Bates (Simon & Schuster, 2018) - Add this one to your collection of inclusive stories.

Hazelnut Days by Emmanuel Bourdier, Illustrated by Zau (Mineedition, 2018) - I don’t want to spoil the ending of this one but it is definitely worth the read.

They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books, 2018) - This is Tamaki’s first picture book and it is lovely way to explore colors.

First Laugh — Welcome Baby! by Rose Ann Tahe, Nancy Bo Flood, Illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2018) - I am trying to build my collection of books by Native American authors. Add this one to your collection.

The Eye That Never Sleeps: How Detective Pinkerton Saved President Lincoln by Marissa Moss, Illustrated by Jeremy Holmes (Abrams, 2018) - I was fascinated by this picture book biography about Allan Pinkerton.

Sea Bear: A Journey for Survival by Lindsay Moore (Greenwillow Books, January 22, 2019) - This fictional text would pair nicely with a nonfiction text on polar bears and climate change.

The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop by Carole Boston Weatherford, Frank Morrison (Little Bee Books, January 8, 2019) - Wow! The text and illustrations in this book are amazing.

The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach (Scholastic Press, February 26, 2019) - This would pair nicely with a nonfiction text on the life cycle of a butterfly. And this one will make a very funny read aloud.

What If...? Then We...: Short, Very Short, Shorter-than-Ever Possibilities by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Fred Koehler (Boyds Mills Press, February 19, 2019) - Click on the title for my recent review of the book and a giveaway.

Lubna and the Pebble by Wendy Meddor, Illustrated by Daniel Egneus (Dial Books, March 5, 2019) - If you have a refugee shelf, you will want to add this one to it. I read it to a group of teachers and got all choked up.

The Panda Problem by Deborah Underwood, Illustrated by Hannah Marks (Dial Books, April 2, 2019) -This will be a fun read aloud.

¡Vamos! Let's Go to the Market by Raúl Gonzalez III (Versify, April 2, 2019) - A new picture book coming from Kwame Alexander’s imprint. VERSIFY. The kids I shared this one with really enjoyed it.

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Versify, April 2, 2019) - A new picture book by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson. You will want to pick this one up.

Fox & Chick: The Quiet Boat Ride: and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier - I really enjoy Ruzzier’s Fox and Chick characters. This one is as good as the first one.

How I Became a Spy: A Mystery of WWII London by Deborah Hopkinson (Knopf Books for Young Readers, February 12, 2019) Click on the link for my review of this book.

Extraordinary Birds by Sandy Stark-McGinnis (Bloomsbury, April 30, 2019) - I am still trying to figure out how to sum up this book. I do think that books about children in foster care are needed and also hard because every child has such a different experience. I was definitely drawn into this book and glad I read it. More to come.

For those who like cookbooks, I have gone back into a phase of reading them. I was excited to see that the Los Angeles Public Library has such a fabulous collection of new or newish cookbooks and cooking memoirs.

Cravings: Hungry for More by Christy Teigen and Adeena Sussman (Clarkson Potter, 2018) - This one I think I will pick up. Lots of recipes I want to try.

Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes by Adam Reid, Photographs by Andre Baranowski (W.W. Norton, 2009) - This was recommended on a podcast I listen to and I was curious to check it out. I am still craving milkshakes.

The Grand Central Baking Book: Breakfast Pastries, Cookies, Pies, and Satisfying Savories from the Pacific Northwest's Celebrated Bakery by Piper Davis, Ellen Jackson (Ten Speed Press, 2009) - This one also came from a podcast recommendation and right now I am going sugar-free and gluten free so I was just enjoying this but have no plan to make anything for awhile.