Celebrate!

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on Saturdays where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

* I was able to binge watch Downton Abbey this week. I don't really watch television as a general rule. I used to watch Survivor sometimes when my whole family was watching it years ago. The other show I watched was all of the Dr. Who episodes (except two my daughter said I could skip) in preparation to watch the fiftieth anniversary special with her. I watched about a season a week for that. This weekend our public library is having a Sunday Tea in honor of the end of the fifth season. I love tea and wanted to go the party so I have been watching the first two seasons at a rapid clip.

* Our staff had another Fabulous Friday activity. This time it was a White Elephant exchange. I forgot so didn't participate, but still got a bellyful of laughs watching them open their gifts at the end of the day.

* Despite technical difficulties (we had to use a cell phone to hear her), some of our second grade students were able to Skype with our former ELL teacher who has moved away. It was wonderful to see her beautiful smiling face.

* We also had our Fancy Lunch this week at school. The lights were dim, we had little battery operated tea lights, paper on the tables for drawing and soft jazz playing. Students and staff were dressed in fancy clothes too. One of the students informed me that we should definitely NOT schedule the next fancy lunch on a spaghetti day. He had a point. There were a few splotches on clothes.

* Our Battle of the Books team participated in the state competition. They did miss a few questions, but they had the highest score that any team has gotten at our school the whole time I have been coaching. They were awesome. It was cool to get to work with them.

I'm off to the library. It's a beautiful day though we are still only sitting at twelve degrees. The sun is shining and we may even get to twenty this afternoon. Oh, and there are girl scout cookies in the house. That's a celebration in itself. :)

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge

Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more non-fiction. I am thankful that she has this challenge because I know I have read more nonfiction texts as a result.

Women's History Month is just around the corner and here are some of the books I typically highlight in my library. I spent the afternoon pulling some of these amazing books for our display. Are there some picture books that you love to share in March or anytime of the year that feature women? If you want to know more about the titles, visit my women's history shelf at Goodreads. Also, the Amelia Bloomer Project has some amazing titles.

Slice of Life - Minneapolis

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

My exchange student and I packed a lot of stuff into our Sunday. We got up and left the house around 8:00. We made it to St. Paul around 11:00. Our first stop was the Hmong Village Market. I bought an outfit, a bracelet, and a ball (the ones used for ball toss at New Year's). There is always so much to see there. I was disappointed that the bookstore Hmong ABC wasn't open yet. I always stop in there, but I knew we would visit at least one more bookstore that day, so we headed out to our next destination: The Mall of America.

We had a fun time exploring the mall. I had no idea that one time around the mall was a little over half of a mile, but that is what we learned on the Internet. I soon got a text from a loved one asking if I knew that the mall was under a high security alert. Ugh. We stayed anyway. The threat of terrorism hung over my head a bit, but I figured it was probably more likely that we would have a traffic accident on the way home. 

We also went to a waterfall to have a bit of a winter adventure. We had to hop across to get underneath the icicles, but it was cool to hear the water behind the ice. It was gurgling back behind me. There was steam and warm air in that cave. That actually felt wonderful since the high that day was -2 and the wind was blowing.

Our next stop was the Cowles Conservatory in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Due to the frigid temps, we skedaddled into the conservatory and looked at the Spoonbridge and Cherry from the toasty warm entry way. The frost designs on the windows were swirly and amazing. Walking among the plants with the snow and ice outside made me feel like we were getting away with something.

Our final stop was Birchbark Books. The owner, Louise Erdrich, was there to do a reading. They were having an open house so there were refreshments. I bought a nice pile of books and even read a few. After she read a bit, we were running out of steam and needed to head home.

I'm glad we got to experience so many wonderful things together. I was also quite happy to get home  and sink into a chair.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

The Past Week: 

Due to an amazing weekend, I don't have time to tell about the books I read this past week, but most of them are reviewed on my Goodreads shelf if you want to know more about any of them. My favorites of them all were Hello Ocean, Sweetest Kulu, and Sugar Hill closely followed by Zombie Baseball Beatdown and In My Family. 

Have a great week filled with wonderful reading!

Celebrate!

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on Saturdays where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

Here are some of my reasons to celebrate.

* My husband and I got to go to a Valentine's Day couples event. We spent time with other couples, talked alone and had a candlelight dinner too. The time together was a special treat.

* I enjoyed my Zumba classes this week. I'm thankful for the fun times with great ladies.

* A few of us were able to explore the construction in our school. Wearing a hard hat made it feel special. We saw some of the new spaces in the addition to the building. Walking around in a partially completed building is certainly a cool opportunity. Do I dare mention the negatives though? The fumes and the noise have been rough this week.

* To keep up our spirits during construction, we are having Fabulous Fridays. Today the fabulousness  was a potato bar at lunch. Having lunch together as a staff is definitely worth a celebration.

* I have students who love reading. Seeing smiles on their faces as they check out books and read will never ever get old.

* We got a book order this week with some awesome books like Sweetest Kulu. Opening the package and pulling them each out was like getting presents.

Fry Bread!!

* I'm on a team from my school that is participating in Culturally Responsive Practices training. Our homework this month was to attend a community event. Last night several of us went to a family fun night at Nį Tanį Hocira (Three Rivers House). The event began with food - and it was delicious. I am a big fan of fry bread. The food was amazing, but the best part was the conversations. I met a language apprentice, much like the one featured in the video below.

The apprentices and their mentors are working to keep the Ho-Chunk language alive. The families at the event were creating family trees using Ho-Chunk words for mother, father, etc.... I was also able to reconnect with some who have been great resources for me in the past. The evening was a lift to my spirit.

Slice of Life

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

I finally got to attend ALA Midwinter this year. It was a fantastic time of books and connecting with people. For the first time ever, two Rich in Color writers met each other face to face. Karimah was here because she was invited to the Day of Diversity. She wrote about that here.

@Rich_in_Color writers together in person. Eating deep dish pizza and sharing laughs. More to come. W/@librarygrl2 pic.twitter.com/ViTJ1iWxRj

— K. Imani Tennyson (@K_Imani) January 31, 2015

I was also able to meet up with many #Nerdybookclub friends too. There were chats late into the night with much laughter, but also thoughtful debate. I think more laughter though. Yes, definitely more laughter.

Saturday morning was amazing starting with the 2015 Diverse Debuts panel. The panelists shared window and mirror books from their childhood and then spoke of experiences on their publishing journey. We also heard about some of the initiatives coming from We Need Diverse Books including educational kits. Meeting authors from the panel afterwards was truly a treat.

Debut author Sona Charaipotra

Next, I toured the exhibit hall and found the guy that several of my third grade students told me I had to meet - Tom Angleberger. Of course, I wanted to meet him too. I also got to say hi to Cece Bell since she just happened to be nearby. :)

Next I rushed into the Ignite session just in time to catch Angie Manfredi cruising through a fantastic list of diverse titles in her session "20 Kids/Teens Titles to Diversify Your Collection Today." She offered many titles (you can see them in her slideshow here), but she also encouraged everyone to "Buy the books!" Our money speaks and is one thing that publishers will definitely understand. There were two other sessions that spoke to diversity.

Ivy Noelle presented "Geek Culture and Diversity in Library Spaces." She drew our attention to the idea that comics is an area that is also diverse. She shared The Shadow Hero, Ms. Marvel, and others. 

Edith Campbell finished out the sessions with "The Children are Not All White." She reminded us that there is a disparity between the percentages of children who are not white and representation in children's literature. She also emphasized that books about children of color are for all readers. 

@debreese Bloggers! pic.twitter.com/TTZ4YheR6I

— CrazyQuiltEdi (@CrazyQuilts) February 4, 2015

Following the session, I was able to meet these women who are amazing resources for all people  involved in the work of promoting diverse literature.

Through the afternoon I was able to meet more #Nerdybookclub friends and also snuck in for part of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's lecture before leaving for dinner with friends. They introduced me to Ed Debevic's for a pre-dinner snack. It was truly entertaining as the servers danced on the bar where we sat.

After dinner, I shared a cab to the hotel where I thought I would find the Reforma event Noche de Cuentos happening. Unfortunately, I had read the brochure incorrectly and was still a cab ride away or a very long walk through snow. Fortunately, I found a cab quickly and got to the event before it ended.

When I arrived, Jasmin Cardenas was telling a story about her childhood. It was relaxing and refreshing to sit and hear a story at the end of the day. One of the things she said stuck with me, "We all have stories and if we tell them...this world would be a more peaceful place."

After the stories, I was able to meet Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, the author of Pig Park. I reviewed her book for Rich in Color and also made those yummy pig cookies last fall. I also met Maya Gonzalez and Pat Mora. That made my day. They have both written some wonderful books. It was cool that a few days later it was announced that Pat Mora would be the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecturer for 2016! 

The next morning it was blizzarding, but our train didn't leave right away so we got to go to the exhibit hall one more time before the long and somewhat scary journey home. Overall, the weekend was a success. There were still not nearly enough diverse books out on the exhibit hall floor, but I had wonderful conversations with some of the smaller presses about the great things they are doing. This was my first time so I was just finding my way, but I certainly have a better sense of what I want to do with my time if I go again. Being with so many people who are excited about stories and books made me giddy and I hope I get the chance to do it again.

The work around diversity seemed to have had some ups and downs. Several people wrote more thoroughly about that. Here are a few overviews that were helpful to me particularly in regards to what happened during the Day of Diversity event, but also in general.

Sujei Lugo - Latin@s in Kidlit

Debbie Reese - American Indians in Children's Literature

K. Imani - Rich in Color

Edith Campbell - Crazy Quilt Edi

Sarah Park Dahlen

Maya Gonzalez

Zetta Elliott

Jason Low - Lee & Low Books

Elizabeth Bluebell

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

The Past Week: 

Fish in a Tree calls me to be a better teacher - one who sees my students. The main character, Ally, is unforgettable. Lynda Mullaly Hunt has again written a book that stirs emotions and makes me think. Half a World Away was very unique. I'm not sure I've ever read a book with such a troubled adopted child. He has abandonment issues that are not yet resolved and now his parents are adopting another child - this time an infant. Through his eyes, readers see the turmoil this causes. There is some hope present, but this is not a light-hearted book. Also, some of the situations surrounding the adoption had me wondering if they were realistic.

I reviewed One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul and Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge. Poet isn't on Goodreads yet since & will be published in the fall.

I shared The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage with my fifth grade classes. They were amazed that such laws existed.

Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony Inspired by Historical Facts was interesting to me, but is definitely for older readers. The two women sit in a room drinking tea and talking about their past exploits so it is not one students would likely read on their own, but could be used by a teacher as a resource.

Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival was not an easy read. What slowly became clear to me was that you had to have money to be hidden. It was wonderful to see how many people were saved, but was also horrifying realizing how many were not.

Strike! The Farm Workers' Fight for Their Rights was a little drier than I had hoped, but was mostly interesting. It got me to thinking about how few children's books exist about migrant families. I did come up with a list though, so I'll have to do a post about that soon.

My favorite of the week was Cuba 15. It's a fun coming-of-age book. There were some serious moments, but it was full of laughter and family love. This one brought a smile to my face many times.

The Coming Week: 

I'm listening to Zombie Baseball Beatdown and so far am loving it. I also started an adult book called The Historian. I think it's a vampire book. A friend told me I had to read it. ;)

I'll also be reading a few more ARCs from ALA Midwinter. I hope you have a great week!

Reading Challenges Update:

Diversity on the Shelf/Diverse Books  24/100

Goodreads  55/520

#MustRead2015  8/53

Diversity Reading Challenge  6/12

Around the World With Books 2015

Celebrate

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on Saturdays where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

Last weekend, we were able to go showshoeing. We have a park a few blocks from our house with walking trails and we spent some time out in the woods. It was quiet and beautiful. I really enjoyed the time out among the trees.

Our exchange student had a birthday this week. We had a dinner that he requested and an ice cream cake. It was a nice evening.

We hit the 100th day of school. It's always fun to see the first grade students come with their baggies of 100 items. They count them at home and then they count them again at school and there are so many smiles.

Valentine's Day festivities at school were also a lot of fun. There were students buzzing around delivering treats and cards. It's always an exciting time for the students.

Altogether it was a rather mellow week filled with everyday kinds of joys - smiles and hugs from students, joking and laughter with staff and quiet times at home.

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge

Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more non-fiction. I am thankful that she has this challenge because I know I have read more nonfiction texts as a result.

I was able to pick up a few F&Gs at ALA Midwinter so will share a little bit about two of them here. 

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia

Written by Miranda Paul & Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

On shelves now

This is a wonderful example of someone seeing a problem, thinking of a possible solution, and working together with others to make it all happen. Teachers are often looking for stories about everyday people making a difference in the world and Isatou Ceesay along with women in her community did just that. There were too many plastic bags littering their village and causing all kinds of problems, but they came together to make a change. I appreciated the resources at the end of the book including the author's note, a timeline, glossary, and a list of books about other people who have brought about positive changes in our world. 

I'm a sucker for collage and enjoyed the colorful patterns and the many textures used here. To see more of the illustrations and find out more about the book, check out the trailer below.

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton

by Don Tate

Before I start talking about this one, I should probably warn you that it isn't in Goodreads yet and it won't be published until fall. The best place to find information about this book is a wonderful post over on Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Don Tate and Julie had a conversation about this book and other things he has in the works. I enjoyed seeing illustrations that didn't make it into the book along with some that did.

This is an interesting biography for several reasons. For one, George Moses Horton was a slave and taught himself how to read. He also managed to do a few other unexpected things like publish poetry that protested slavery while he was a slave.

It's a gift to be able to read about George Moses Horton. He had a love for words and he was able to use them in a unique way. 

Once the book is out, I will want to revisit the story and write a more complete review, but I am definitely looking forward to seeing the final copy.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

The Past Week: 

I had quite a mix of books this week. Bone Gap was a young adult ARC I picked up at ALA Midwinter. I got to meet Laura Ruby and get it signed. That's always a treat. It's a unique young adult book that crosses genre lines. It's magical realism, mystery, and romance too. Colby Sharp gushed about it so of course I had to give it a try. :)

Under a Painted Sky was another young adult ARC from a publisher and was also a very unique story. The story takes place in the mid 1800s on the trail to the west. What's different about this is that it's a western with the main characters being a Chinese American teen and an escaped slave. They're an unlikely pair to be running off to the west. Stacey Lee wrote a highly entertaining and absorbing tale. For a full review visit Rich in Color. 

Seeds of Freedom came in our Junior Library Guild box this week. It's a picture book about the desegregation of Huntsville, Alabama. This was a desegregation of not just a school, but of businesses and it was done primarily in a nonviolent manner through collaboration and using financial pressure. I appreciate this additional perspective into the civil rights movement for the elementary level.

Good Night Captain Mama was a picture book that I heard of sometime in the past year. The format is a series of questions that a young child is asking his mother about her uniform and her work in the military. It's bilingual (Spanish/English) and it's one more book to add to the relatively few about mothers in the military. It's a bit "teachy" as it doesn't really have a storyline, but it would be helpful in a community with many military families.

The Art of Asking is a memoir/self-help book by Amanda Palmer that was conceived after her amazing TED Talk in 2013. This is definitely an adult book, but is somewhat related to kid lit as she is the wife of Neil Gaiman. She is quite an interesting person and her philosophy of asking and receiving is one that gave me a lot to think about.

I had Frida & Diego on my MustRead2015 list since it was on the Best Multicultural Lit of 2014 list. I am endlessly fascinated by this couple. Their artistic lives and their personal lives were so vivid and they seem to both be people who lived out loud. They didn't really hide who they are so there are many, many resources available to learn about them. This is a middle grade+ nonfiction look into their lives. I really appreciated the full color pictures of their work at the end and the many black and white photos of them and their surroundings throughout the book.

The Coming Week:

I'll be reading Hidden and Strike since I didn't get to them last week. I also want to read Cuba 15.  I didn't get to Hold Me Down last week either so it's getting bumped over. There are many ARCs still to choose from so I will be diving into that pile also. It should be a good week. :) 

Updates on My Reading Challenges

• Diverse Books (We Need Diverse Books) - 17/100
• Goodreads - 47/520
• #MustRead2015 - 5/53
• Diversity Reading Challenge - 5/12

Diverse Children's Literature Recommendations

When I presented in my district about Creating Culturally Rich Environments, I had a diverse collection of books on display. A few teachers asked if I had compiled a list of the books that were out. Unfortunately, I didn't do that ahead of time, but would love to offer some of those titles here now. The grade levels are approximate and some books would work with more than one level. I'll share titles for Intermediate grades in another post.

Most of the titles should be available through our school library though I borrowed a few from the public library. You may check our catalog here. I'm only recommending titles that I've actually read. I've also used many with students. Most have been reviewed or rated on my Goodreads account if you want more information about a title.

Infant to Pre-school/Kindergarten Level

Boozhoo: Come Play With Us (English/Ojibwe) - Fond du Lac Head Start

Our Journey - Lyz Jaakola

Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns Richard Van Camp

Little You - Richard Van Camp

Book of Play! With Northwest Coast Native Art - Native Elements

Global Babies (English/Spanish)- Global Fund for Children
Listen to the Desert: Oye el desierto - Pat Mora

Colores Everywhere (English/Spanish) - San Antoinio Museum of Art

Bee Bim Bop - Linda Sue Park
Did You Hear Wind Sing Your Name?- Sandra de Couteau Orie
Please Baby Please & Please Puppy Please by Spike Lee & Tanya Lewis Lee

A Kiss Means I Love You - Kathryn Madeline Allen

We All Count (English/Cree) - Julie Flett

Fiesta Babies - Carmen Tafolla
Green is a Chile Pepper - Roseanne Thong

I Love My Hair - Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Snowball - Nina Crews

Round is a Tortilla - Roseanne Thong

Our Grandparents: A Global Album - Maya Ajmera

Tig, Toog = Hip, Hop (English/Hmong) - Catherine Hnatov

Mi Familia Calaca (English/Spanish) - Cynthia Weill

Who's in My Family: All About Families - Robie Harris
My Family is Special to Me (English/Hmong) - Bee Xiong
Tougi the Toad - Gaonou Thao

Pw zoo, Tus Me Ntshuab/Good Night Little Sea Otter (English/Hmong) - Janet Halfmann
One World, One Day - Barbara Kerley
The Snowy Day - Ezra Jack Keats
Ten Little Puppies/Diez perritos (English/Spanish) - Alma Flor Ada
Maria Had a Little Llama/María tenía una llamita (English/Spanish) - Angela Dominguez
The Swirling Hijaab (English/Urdu)- Na'ima B. Robert
A Nest in Springtime: A Bilingual Book of Numbers (Chinese/English) - Belle Yang
Dale, dale, dale : una fiesta de números = Hit it, hit, hit it : a fiesta of numbers (Spanish/English) - René Saldaña, Jr.

Primary Grades (K-3)
The Good Luck Cat - Joy Harjo
Jingle Dancer - Cynthia Leitich Smith
Sky Sisters - Jan Bourdeau Waboose

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match & its sequel - Monica Brown
My People - Langston Hughes & Charles Smith, Jr.
Farmer Will Allen's Growing Table - Jacqueline Briggs Martin
My Dadima Wears a Sari - Kashmira Sheth
Looking Like Me - Walter Dean Myers
JoJo's Flying Side Kick - Brian Pinkney
Baxter the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher - Laurel Snyder
Just a Minute - Yuyi Morales
Ruth and the Green Book - Calvin A. Ramsey
Rabbit's Snow Dance - Joseph Bruchac
Busing Brewster - Richard Michelson
Henry's Freedom Box - Ellen Levine
I Too am America - Langston Hughes & Bryan Collier
Soccer Star - Mina Javaherbin
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building - Christy Hale
Here I Am - Patti Kim
Tito Puente: Mambo King - Monica Brown
What Can You Do With a Paleta - Carmen Tafolla
Big Red Lollipop - Rukhsana Khan
Gracias/Thanks - Pat Mora
Dalia's Wondrous Hair - Laura Lacamara
King for a Day - Rukhsana Khan
Silly Chicken - Idries Shah
Niño Wrestles the World - Yuyi Morales
The Blacker the Berry - Joyce Carol Thomas
The Secret Message - Mina Javaherbin
Wild Berries - Julie Flett
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message - Chief Jake Swamp
Goal - Mina Javaherbin
Little Roja Riding Hood - Susan Middleton Elya
Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic - Ginnie Lo
Viva Frida - Yuyi Morales
Ron's Big Mission - Rose Blue
Each Kindness - Jacqueline Woodson
Tiger in My Soup - Kashmira Sheth
The Story of Ruby Bridges - Robert Coles
Martin's Big Words - Doreen Rappaport
The Moccasins - Earl Einarson
My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood - Tameka Fryer Brown
Firebird - Misty Copeland
We March - Shane Evans
What Can You Do With a Rebozo - Carmen Tafolla
Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin - Duncan Tonatiuh
Tomas and the Library Lady - Pat Mora
Too Many Tamales - Gary Soto
Tap Dancing on the Roof - Linda Sue Park
The Name Jar - Yansook Choi
Ghosts for Breakfast - Stanley Todd Terasaki
Fish for Jimmy - Katie Yamasaki
The Pot That Juan Built - Nancy Andrews-Goebel
It's Our Garden - George Ancona
Los Gatos Black on Halloween - Marisa Montes
Grandfather Gandhi - Arun Gandhi
Draw! - Raúl Colón
Grandfather's Journey - Allen Say
The Ugly Vegetables - Grace Lin
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream - Kristy Dempsey
Meet Danitra Brown - Nikki Grimes
Hungry Johnny - Cheryl Minnema
Chukfi Rabbit's Big Bad Bellyache - Greg Rodgers
Hip-Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat - ed. Nikki Grimes
My Colors My World/Mis colores mi mundo - Maya Gonzalez
Skin Again - bell hooks
Let's Talk About Race - Julius Lester
The Deaf Musicians - Pete Seeger

Primary Chapter Books
Anna Hibiscus (series) - Atinuke
The Missing Chancleta and Other Top-Secret Cases - Alidis Vicente
Shoua and the Northern Lights Dragon - Ka Vang
The No. 1 Car Spotter (series) - Atinuke
Only One Year - Andrea Cheng
Ling and Ting (series) - Grace Lin
Sofia Martinez (series) - Jacqueline Jules
Precious Ramotswe''s Very First Cases (series) - Alexander McCall Smith
Juan Bobo: Four Folktales from Puerto Rico - Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule - Kashmira Sheth
The Gumazing Gum Girl (series) - Rhode Montijo
Zapato Power (series) - Jacqueline Jules
Jackson Friends (series) - Michelle Edwards
Katie Woo (series) - Fran Manushin
Ruby Lu (series) - Lenore Look
Rickshaw Girl - Mitali Perkins

Whew! That took a lot longer than I imagined it would so now I am going to relax and watch one of my favorite videos from Putumayo Kids.

Celebrate!

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on Saturdays where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

This past week was full of laughter, smiles, and so many books. I was able to attend the ALA Mid-Winter meeting for the first time. There were friends to see and authors to meet. There were ARCs to pick up and so much more. I will likely write about all of the fun sometime in the coming week. 

I am also celebrating that I made it home on Sunday despite the winter storm. The roads were not so fabulous and the wind and snow made it tricky to see sometimes, but I had my audio books and took my time. Even with all of the dicey driving, I was still able to stop in Madison for a little while to see my son. I love any chance to do that.

Another celebration was the Youth Media Awards. I love seeing the outpourings of book love. I watched it at school just before classes started.

Our school renovation is in full swing with tight quarters all around, construction noise, and various things that require lots of flexibility on the part of staff and students. Our team leaders thought of a way to help with the stress. We're having "Fabulous Fridays." For our first fab Friday, staff was treated to all kinds of wonderful drinks: tea, coffee, lemonade (since we're taking our lemons and making a lot that these days), hot cocoa and more. There were even a few snacks to go with the drinks. It certainly made the morning brighter.

I hope your week was filled with many things to celebrate.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

I'm still recovering from going to ALA midwinter (my head is still fuzzy and reeling a bit) and the slightly horrifying drive home from Chicago yesterday. I am also giddy from the ALA Youth Media Awards announcements this morning. With that combination, I'm not sure how much I will be writing to go along with my titles today, but here goes....

The Past Week: 

I reviewed Rose Eagle by Joseph Bruchac last week at Rich in Color

I read Because They Marched because it was on my #MustRead2015 list. I put it there because it was on the list of Best Multicultural books of 2014. That only brings me to 3/53 for the reading challenge. I'll need to pick up the pace.

I started listening to Mission Unstoppable on my drive to Chicago. It was okay, but not my favorite book. When it was time to drive home, there was quite a bit of snow on the roads and the wind was picking up so I thought I needed something that would make me laugh and relax so I started listening to If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) instead. That was an excellent choice. She is such a positive person and she cracked me up. It's amazing how much she continues to do and I'm glad she shares her writing with the world. By the time that book was over, my drive was a little less stressful and I went back to the first book. 

I saw these three beauties at ALA Mid-winter. Orion and the Dark is a gentle book about fear of the dark. It's very sweet and I enjoyed the design. Jen Vincent was on a mission to get everyone she knew to read Orion. :) I'm glad she recommended it. I read I Know the River Loves Me at the Noche de Cuentos. I love the artwork of Maya Christina González. The water in this book is gorgeous and the text is also. Sidewalk Flowers is a wordless book that I saw at the Groundwood booth. In it the child picks flowers along the sidewalk and ultimately shares them with others. It is a sweet story and totally reminded me of Amanda Palmer. As a street performer, Amanda would hand flowers to the people who gave her money. She said that by that exchange, she was seeing others and being seen. There was a connection between them. The child in the story seems to truly see people and shares with them as a result. 

The Coming Week:

I'll be reviewing Hold Me Down over at Rich in Color. I plan to work on my #MustRead2015 list by reading Hidden, Strike, and Frida & Diego. Beyond that, I'm not sure what I will get to, but it will likely include some ARCs from ALA and or some of the winners of the Youth Media Awards. Have a great week!