It's Monday! What are you reading? - From Picture Books to YA - 12/23/13

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Here's what jumped out of the stack this past week...


Water Can Be... by Laurie Purdie Salas (Millbrook Press, April 1, 2014) - This follow up to A Leaf Can Be... is just as charming.  Put it on your "to-read" list for 2014.


Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman; Illustrated by K.G. Campbell (Viking Juvenile, October 3, 2013) - I finally found a copy of Ame's new book.  What a fun story, and I love bears.

 
Red Knit Cap Girl to the Rescue by Naoko Stoop (November 5, 2013, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) - For fans of the Red Knit Cap Girl, she is back and this time comes to the aid of a polar bear cub.


A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems (Disney-Hyperion, May 21, 2013) - I somehow missed this book when it came out earlier in the year but finally corrected that oversight.



Poppy the Pirate Dog by Liz Kessler; Illustrated by Mike Phillips (Candlewick Press, Auugust 27, 2013) - I always have my eye out for early readers.  This one was on the holiday recommendation table at Vroman's. It's a cute story.


Bink and Gollie: Best Friends Forever by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee; Illustrated by Tony Fucile (Candlewick, April 23, 2013) - I had this on my radar earlier in the year and somehow missed it when it came out.  I had to buy it when I was hanging out at Vroman's this past week. And though I love Book 2 the best, I still adore Bink and Gollie.


Stop by later this week for my Nonfiction Picture Book 2013 wrap-up and see some of the titles I have been reading.

So, what are you reading?

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Nerdy Book Club 2013 Nerdy Award Finalists - Nonfiction Picture Books


The voting for the 2013 Nerdy Awards is currently open.  I was excited to see the finalists in the Nonfiction Picture Book Award category.  Nearly every book has been featured in some kind of post on my blog this year.  Check out the Nonfiction Picture Book Finalists, and don't forget to vote. 



A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet


Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet


Building Our House by Jonathan Bean


Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton by Meghan McCarthy


Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin


Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animals’ Lives by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal


Look Up: Bird Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate


Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough, illustrated by Debby Atwell


No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young, illustrated by Nicole Wong


On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky


Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth


Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige Vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio by Rob Skead, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by LeUyen Pham


The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins, illustrated by Jill McElmurry


Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

So, many of these are favorites, I just don't know how to vote.  What are your favorites from this list?

And don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

School Author Visit - Molly Idle

One of my favorite things to do is invite authors to schools.  Watching the interactions between students and an author brings a smile to my face every time.  This time, I had the great opportunity of spending the day with author/illustrator, Molly Idle.

My first stop with Molly was at Don Benito Elementary School in Pasadena.  Here is Molly with her welcome sign.


Principal Julie Reynoso introduces Molly to her Kindergarten and First Grade Students. Everyone was really excited.


Molly kicked off the visit with a slideshow. We learned about how Molly, as a child, had aspirations of becoming a writer and illustrator.



Molly has such a wonderful warm personality and connected beautifully with students.


She gave students a drawing demonstration. Here is a flamingo and a bee.


Students also had a chance to ask Molly questions about writing, and how books are created.  There was a lot of interest in the actual way books are produced.


Molly also got a chance to sign a stack of books.  Thank you Joey and Kris from Once Upon a Time for coming out and helping with book sales.


After the morning visit, Molly and I stopped by The Little Flower Café to pick up lunch. It is one of my favorite places and I think Molly loved it too.  After a quick lunch, Molly had a chance to meet up with a small group of high school students who are interested in careers as illustrators or cartoonists. 


After chatting with the high school students, Molly did another school visit at Norma Coombs Alternative School.  Principal Jennifer Smith introduces Molly to her students.


Molly again shared about her childhood.  I loved the pictures of a very young Molly already showing signs of being a future illustrator.


If you haven't read Tea Rex or Flora and the Flamingo, look for copies at your local independent bookstore.


Thank you Molly for coming out and spending the day with me and several of the schools I work with.

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 12/9/13

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Here's what jumped out of the stack this past week...


Ling & Ting Share a Birthday by Grace Lin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 10, 2013)


Deep in the Sahara by Kelly Cunnane & Hoda Hadadi  (Schwartz & Wade, October 8, 2013)


The Apple Orchard Riddle by Margaret McNamara; Illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Schwartz & Wade, July 9, 2013)


Little Owl's Orange Scarf by Tatyana Feeney (Knopf Books for Young Readers, June 11, 2013)

...and I am currently reading:


The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown (HMH Books for Young Readers, October 8, 2013)

So, what are you reading?

Book Review - Little Chicken's Big Christmas


by Katie Davis, Jerry Davis
Publisher: BoomZoom Media, LLC (December 1, 2013)
Source: Copy for Review
Audience: Toddlers and Preschoolers

My thoughts on this book:
I loved Little Chicken's Big Day by Katie Davis and Jerry Davis.  The refrain of "I hear you cluckin', Big Chicken" and the expressive illustrations that perfectly capture the relationship between mama and toddler captured my heart. When I heard Little Chicken was back to celebrate Christmas, I knew I had to read this book.

Little Chicken and his mother are getting ready for Christmas. It's a busy time of year. There is decorating, and cookie baking, and presents to wrap.  It is hard enough to wait for anything when you are a toddler, but waiting for Christmas to come can be the hardest thing to do.  



The illustrations in Little Chicken's Big Christmas shares the same crisp, clean, simple illustrations as Little Chicken's Big Day.   Despite the simplicity of the illustrations, there is a depth of emotion and feeling that comes through each page. I smile when I see Little Chicken smile, and when he frowns or yawns, I want to give him a hug.

Just as with the first story, toddlers and preschoolers are going to ask for the story to be read over and over again. I wouldn't be surprised if this time they also want to make cookies, decorate trees, and write letters for Santa. And just like Little Chicken, they are going to be asking...


Looking to pick up a copy of Little Chicken's Big Christmas: http://amzn.to/1dktx0S 

If you don't have a Kindle, you can still get it because there's a free Kindle for Mac app available right on that page which you can download for your iPad, laptop, or desktop.

Plus, if you buy it between Dec 5-12 and submit your receipt to support@katiedavis.com you will get a gift with every purchase: a downloadable Write Your Own Coloring Book version of the book!

Check out the Official Book Trailer:


Check out my interview with Katie and Jerry Davis here.