READ: Monday October 23rd, 2017. PDF, EPUB online free reviews.

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Each week I share at least one reading photo of the week.

Love how this little brown bench is a magnet for readers!

Our #classroombookaday titles helped us to talk about bullying and all of the assumptions and complicated feelings that happen when someone is unnecessarily cruel and others bear witness.

Classroom Highlights

My Monday posts now also contain some sharing from my week in the classroom.

Students had so much to say about all of our #classroombookaday titles this week. Their written responses were also rich. One sentence can be so powerful when the talk leading up to it has been so layered.

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.

I didn’t get a lot of reading done this week. Part of the reason – I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the largest ever Professional Development Conference hosted in B.C. – a Super Conference with over 6 000 attendees. Two days of learning (Friday and Saturday) from some amazing educators and presenters. On the Saturday I presented two workshops and was honoured to share my love of nonfiction picture books and my passion about Reading Workshop with those who attended my sessions.

Further reading to complement both of my sessions is posted on this blog: Reading Workshop Resources and Nonfiction Resources. A comprehensive book list for nonfiction titles is here.

I presented in a gorgeous room with a beautiful view of the water (not seen in this photo) but wow, there were a lot of seats!

Books I enjoyed:

If You Were the Moon written by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Jaime Kim

So excited about this book! I brought it along to share at my session. What would you do if you were the moon? A poem travels line by line page by page on one side of each two page spread and on the other, more information about the moon. Incredible illustrations. Jaime Kim is fast becoming a favourite.

Older than The Stars by Karen C. Fox and Nancy Davis

It’s hard to believe this book does what it does. Told partly in a rhythmic repetitive poem and partly in longer sections of text, the origin of the universe – the big bang theory – is explained for young readers. I will be sharing this with my students soon.

Today Is the Day by Eric Walters and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

Based on true story of an orphanage in Africa that helps children celebrate their birthdays – some who don’t even have a registered birth. Extra details in back matter. These stories by Walters and Fernandes are so special.

The Memory Box: A Book About Grief written by Joanna Rowland and illustrated by Thea Baker

This title explores the complicated emotions of loss and grief. How do we hold on to our memories? How powerful is forgetting? Why does it seem to get easier and then harder again? In this title, a young girl participates in a number of things to help her hold on and remember the one she lost. She makes a memory box, asks others to talk and share their own memories and begins to enjoy new experiences (making new memories). While this book has a gentle, soothing feel, it doesn’t pretend that having somebody die is easy. Many pages reveal the confusing, contemplative, lonely feelings involved in grief. This title would be an ideal title to share in the classroom to initiate discussions about grief or to read with a child experiencing loss.