It's Monday...

It's Monday, and I am on a summer get-away along with the rest of the 5-family in the next state over. 

I hope that as you read this I am floating around a lazy river nary a care in the world.

Visit Teach Mentor Texts to find out more about It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? and link to other participating blogs.

I read the Black and White ARC version of Bluffton; I can't wait to read this amazing nonfiction graphic novel again in full color.

• Follow Matt Phelan on Twitter: @MattPhelanDraws
• Visit Matt Phelan's Webpage for great info about Bluffton behind the scenes (including an awesome #fivespotting photo of a Vaudeville ticket booth), and Matt's recent Nerdy Book Club post.

I loved the strong & feisty Lizzy who struggles to keep her world right-side-up during the Great Depression.

• Follow author Laura Golden on Twitter: @LauraPGolden
• Love this post on Laura's blog about what actors she would like to have play her characters were her book to be made into a movie.

This would be a great title to use with writers' workshops or when talking with students about elements of a story.

• Follow Joan Holub on Twitter: @JoanHolub
• Amazing interview with Melissa Sweet via Seven Impossible things before Breakfast 

I loved the fact that this story was the length of a single small town parade; through the flashbacks and side stories the reader keeps coming back to young Ruby standing inside a chalk circle inside a square.

• Follow Linda Urban on Twitter: @LindaUrbanBooks
• Nerdy Book Club post about Center of Everything by Kate Messner 
• Fabulous review via @FuseEight

Make room for another darling (nearly wordless) picture book by Lita Judge.

• Follow Lita Judge on Twitter: @LitaJudge

Classic, quirky Prelutsky poetry paired with amazing shadow box illustrations by Carin Berger is a winning combination.

• Follow Carin Berger on Twitter: @CarinBerger
• Browse inside Stardines on the HarperCollins' site

#fivespotting in Stardines: 

Be sure to check out this amazing picture book biography about the Japanese-American Baseball player, Kenichi Zenimura, who built a baseball field inside the internment camp where he was held during World War II.

• Follow Marissa Moss on Twitter: @MarissaWriter
• Browse the illustrations from Barbed Wire Baseball on illustrator Yuko Shimizu's site

Barbed Wire Baseball focuses on Zenimura building the ball field; the video below highlights a landmark game played on the field.

The 5sters and I are working our way through the Spiderwick series as "read-together" books.
Loads of great action in book 4!

• Follow Holly Black on Twitter: @HollyBlack
• Follw Tony DiTerlizzi on Twitter: @TonyDiTerlizzi

The Bud chose Rump for our next Read-Together book.

And I just picked up a load of new picture books from my local public library.

4 years ago today...

4 years ago today...
our feisty girl would not wait any longer to join our family.
(More about her entry into the world on my blog from long ago.)

Here are a few of her favorites as revealed in an interview yesterday afternoon:

• Pink & Purple
• Pretending to be a princess
• Watermelon
• Water days at pre-school
• Fairy Books (like the Complete Book of Flower Fairies)

• Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk "BRAINS!" (She's already has plans for a Zombi-fied Halloween!)

Happy birthday, Cupcake!

It's Monday...Here's what I'm reading

Visit Teach Mentor Texts to find out more about It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? and link to other participating blogs.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is on Minnesota's Maud Hart Lovelace list for 2013-14. 

My students are going to love the ethical sic-fi elements.

Heart of a Shepherd is another MHL nominee. The audio version is excellent, and is narrated by the fabulous Kirby Heyborn who loves librarians (see the video below the book trailer).

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Excerpt: 'Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures'

So excited to finally see this one in person.
AND there is a robot with the number 5 on it in the illustrations!

The 5sters (aka my young ones) are alternating choosing read alouds.

This week we finished...

The Bud's pick:

Cupcake's pick:

There has been a lot of pretending to be Zombies around the 5 house.

We also loved the Zombie recommended reading titles included in the book.

The Bud chose to re-read our special new copy of The Night Fairy for our next read aloud. 

It is Monday...the Monday after ALA 2013

It was only a week ago that I was still in Chicago wrapping up my time at the fabulous American Library Association Conference.

So many folks have posted amazing wrap-ups:

Laura Golden (Author of Every Day After which is ordered and on its way to me as I post!)
100 Scope Notes 
Niki Barnes
Beth Shaum
Katherine Sokolowski

And so many more that I have read and enjoyed.

It is an impossibly amazing weekend to capture in a single post. 

I'll just say last Sunday night...

I wore a little fish with a hat.

And then chatted with the man who created the little fish with the hat...

just before he gave a very nice speech about making the book about a little fish with a hat.

Which was followed by more magical moments and a lovely video that was the perfect way to finish off my Caldecott Challenge at the 75th Anniversary of the Caldecott Awards.

Now it is a week later, and it's Monday.

I have been reading so many fabulous books in the past week thanks to the recommendations of my fabulous #nerdybookclub pals.

Happy Reading, Everyone!