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.

Last Week on the Blogs:

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge

Freedom in Congo Square

Celebrating Music

Review of American Ace

Last Week in Books:

The Skunk has an old-fashioned vibe in the illustrations that was quirky. I liked the humor, but I wasn't bowled over by it. Erandi's Braids was a story that touched my heart. Who Has These Feet? Is a very engaging nonfiction book about animal feet. Enormous Smallnes: The Life of E.E. Cummings is a lovely book. The illustrations fit the text so well and showed the personality of Cummings. Daddy, Papa and Me and Mommy, Mama and Me are two joyful board books about family. They are also the first books to have received the Stonewall Award for children's literature. They were written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Carol Thompson. Funny thing is that they came in on the library hold shelf the same day that I listened to Lesléa on the Let's Get Busy Podcast. It's a great episode focusing on LGBT kidlit. By the way, if you have never listened to any of the Let's Get Busy Podcasts, I recommend that you go do that now.

There are three books here that knocked my socks off completely. Show Way took my breath away. Woodson is such a master storyteller and the topic is heartbreaking, but also manages to be a celebration. The Only Child was amazing in a completely different way. Is it a picture book? Is it a graphic novel? A combination? And it's wordless. Gorgeous too. It is like nothing else I've seen and also tells a marvelous story. I reviewed Freeedom in Congo Square here. It's an outstanding piece of nonfiction. 

Freedom on the Menu shares about the Greensborough, NC sit-ins in a way that young readers could understand. The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial shows a bit of history that I didn't know. One aspect I appreciate is that readers see a segregation issue in the north with a girl who was free before the Civil War. There aren't nearly as many books showing prejudice and racism in the north as those in the south. It helps create a fuller picture of the past. A Passion for Elephants: The Real Life Adventure of Field Scientist Cynthia Moss reminded me a lot of the work of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey. It's great to have another book celebrating the scientific life of a woman.

 

The Wolf Wilder is a fabulous adventure. It was historical fiction, but felt a little magical. Totally in a good way. It was enchanting even without actual enchantment. Forgotten Bones: Uncovering a Slave Cemetery presents the discovery and study of a slave cemetery in Albany, New York. Incidentally, this is located at the farm of the Schuyler family featured in the musical Hamilton. It is interesting because of the information they were able to gather about slaves in the north. There just isn't a lot of information available about slavery in the north. I do question the use of that skull on the cover though. It's obviously an attention getter, but it bothers me since that was an actual person and their skull is being used to sell a book. The archaeologists took great care and tried to be respectful, but the cover is disturbing.

I started working on my LGBTQIA Challenge and read several for it this week. My favorite was Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel and I loved it. It would be a great one for a Valentine's Day display. Leila is experiencing her first romantic relationship and all the ups and downs that come with it. There is a nice dose of humor here too. Pink was also a relationship book, but there is more questioning and the book felt a little more raw. Honor Girl is a graphic novel memoir and has a younger protagonist. She is startled to have a crush on one of the female counselors at her summer camp.

I reviewed the historical novel in verse, American Ace, over at Rich in Color.

It was a great week for books!

The Coming Week:
I'm reading the memoir Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx by Sonia Manzano. After that, I'm not sure which way my reading will take me. I have The Graham Cracker Plot and a few others checked out from the library, but I have no set plan. Happy reading!

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge - 65/550
Diversity on the Shelf 2016 - 33/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)
LGBTQIA Challenge - 5/31
ReadPOC Challenge - 23/125
#MustReadin2016 - 5/54
Around the World with Books 2016

Celebrating Music

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

I celebrate music. Smile is my one little word for the year. When I am down, lonely, stressed or otherwise not feeling super, music can put a smile right back on my face. Here are some of the songs that can lift me up. 

I have the German version of Wicked. I listened to it over and over again before my first visit to Germany. It helped refresh my high school German lessons. At this point, I may know the German lyrics better than the English ones. I came to admire this Elphaba. Willemijn Verkaik is amazing in any language and between her and the song it would be impossible not to smile.

Sometimes a little Bollywood is the perfect smile inducer. If that doesn't work, 

I can always try a little K-Pop

If all else fails, I can listen to one of the amusing songs from Hamilton.

Or I can even share a fun song with my students from Putumayo

Do you have songs that make you smile? If so, let me know what they are so I can add to my playlist for those moments I need a lift. Thanks!

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Freedom in Congo Square

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. My plan is to read at least 100 nonfiction picture books this year.

There have been many posts and discussions about the depiction of slavery in children's literature lately. If you have missed them, here is an article that explains the most recent happenings surrounding the picture book A Birthday Cake for George Washington. So when I opened my Junior Library Guild box and found a book dealing with slavery, I wasn't sure what to expect.

Freedom in Congo Square 

written by Carole Boston Weatherford 

with illustrations by R. Gregory Christie

Goodreads summary:  This poetic, nonfiction story about a little-known piece of African American history captures a human’s capacity to find hope and joy in difficult circumstances and demonstrates how New Orleans' Congo Square was truly freedom’s heart.

Mondays, there were hogs to slop,
mules to train, and logs to chop.
Slavery was no ways fair.
Six more days to Congo Square.

As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves' duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square.

My thoughts: Readers will come away with the understanding that slavery was deplorable and unfair. They will also see that in this one special place, enslaved people had a brief time to themselves and they made the most of it. This book is one that doesn't sugar coat slavery or make it seem like it wasn't so bad. It does show that enslaved people were able to find meaning and enjoyment in their lives in spite of the circumstances, but certainly reinforces the idea that slavery cannot be seen in a positive light. Sunday was something to look forward to, but it could not negate the injustice of the system.

I appreciated the focus on the music that was created in the square. Readers learn about the roots of jazz. The illustrations are bright and energetic and fit particularly well with the theme of the music and dance.

I will definitely be highlighting this book at school along with other excellent titles about slavery and resistance that are listed at Teaching for Change.

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.

Last Week on the Blogs:

Dancing Through the Pages of YA

(Rich in Color)

 Celebrate

(Reading Through Life)

Last Week in Books:

The week was filled with a lot of books. I shared The Secret Olivia Told Me with students when I taught about the Coretta Scott King Award along with a few others that weren't new to me. I like the unique illustrations. I started looking at the Caldecott honors and winners again. There are over 300 at this point, but I've read a little more than half of them. I may start working on that challenge again so I picked up The Moon Jumper, Rain Drop Splash and The Stray Dog.

Boarding School Blues and Canary were the final two books from my #MustReadin2015 books. I really couldn't give up on the list since I was so close to finishing. Boarding School Blues was a collection of essays about the residential school experiences of Native students. Sometimes it was so academic and dry that it was difficult to read, but hearing the different perspectives was educational. Canary was a unique young adult contemporary novel, but wasn't a favorite.

American Ace is one that I'll be reviewing over on Rich in Color later this week.

Lumberjanes is a graphic novel and was a ton of fun. This is a group of girls in the middle of fantastical outdoor adventures. I look forward to more fun with them in the future. The Zero Degree Zombie Zone was fun, but didn't always make all the sense that it could have, but some of my students will enjoy it anyways. Zombies don't always have to make sense.

The Mindy Kaling book was a fun change of pace and worked for my One Little Word - Smile. She brought a smile to my face.

I got to a few nonfiction books for young readers this week. The biography of Cris Plata was very interesting. For someone who wants something like Francisco Jiménez's books The Circuit and Breaking Through for younger readers, this would work well. It's especially nice for teachers in Texas and Wisconsin because Cris Plata and his family were migrant workers going between the two states. There are great photos and the author was able to interview Plata and so much of the book shares his perspective. He doesn't avoid the difficulties of his childhood, but he is also a positive person and shares how even the challenges have shaped him. I also appreciated that he shared about both his Mexican and Indian heritage and how that blended with the culture surrounding him when he moved to Wisconsin. This would be an excellent book for middle school teachers to use and possibly even upper elementary classes.

Who Was Frida Kahlo was a little dry, but I was glad to have finally read one of the Who Was/Is books. It gave a good overview of her life, though it was quite sanitized. I really enjoyed In the Garden with Dr. Carver. It was neat to learn about his work sharing gardening knowledge with others on the weekends.

The Coming Week:

I'm devouring Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel. I may still finish it this evening (Sun.). I have about three chapters left with Eddie Huang's Fresh Off the Boat.  I'm about half-way through The Trouble with Ants and will review it later this week. Apart from that, I have The Wolf Wilder from the library and the latest Jenny Han that I purchased with gift money. Have a great week filled with wonderful words.

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge - 46/550
Diversity on the Shelf 2016 - 23/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)
LGBTQIA Challenge - 0/21-31
ReadPOC Challenge - 13/125
Around the World with Books 2016

Celebrate!

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

I'm feeling grumbly today. There are a few worries that are hovering in the back of my brain. Finding my celebrations this morning has been more difficult, but fortunately, not impossible.

I celebrate chocolate. Chocolate tastes divine.

I celebrate books. I'm fortunate to have access to a wonderful library system and also a Christmas gift that allowed me to purchase some fun titles this month. I've recently read books that made me think and I've also read a few that have brought a smile to my face. This reminds me that I want to pay more attention to my 'one little word' smile.

I celebrate the health of my family. We are all basically doing well. It's so easy to take that for granted.

I celebrate the fact that earlier this week our youngest child turned 18. We have two adult children now. Our parenting journey is changing. There are always challenges and rewards to the different stages of parenting. I look forward to experiencing both. Obviously, the rewards appeal just a bit more though. :)

As always, I am less grumbly after thinking through my celebrations. This is why I am happy to participate. There are many good things to celebrate, but they get overshadowed sometimes. The act of looking for those celebrations chases away the shadows or at least pushes them back a little.

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.

Last Week on the Blogs:

 

 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge

Celebrating My Ukelele

Last Week in Books:

Picture Books

 

 

I thought Lost. Found. was adorable and a great companion for other see-saw books like Wait. Ketzel the Cat Who Composed stole my heart even though I'm a dog person. Hens for Friends and Sonya's Chickens both show children caring for chickens. They would work well together and could even be used with Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer and the nonfiction book City Chickens. 

I'm New Here is a great window for students. It shares the experiences of three different students as they come to the U.S. from other countries. Readers see some of the challenges of coming to a U.S. school and learning English for the first time.  Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, el rey del fútbol is an energetic and vibrant book about this legend of soccer. I reviewed it here. Two White Rabbits was a quiet book that shares what it can be like to leave Mexico and come to the U.S. It also shows what it's like to be a young child and not always know what's going on around you.

The Wolf-Birds was very interesting. I didn't realize that some species actually communicate with others so that they can be mutually beneficial. The birds sometimes direct the wolves to easy prey so they both can eat.

New Shoes clearly and simply shows discrimination against African Americans in the 1950s. It also shows two girls figuring out a way to make their dreams happen within the confines of the rules and culture of that time. The Book Itch was a definite favorite. I wrote quite a bit about it here. 

Dear Yeti was nice, but I have to ask, isn't the market getting a little saturated with the Yeti stories? I just found a blog post about the large number of yeti picture books in 2015 so it's not just my imagination. Ninja Baby is in a similar situation. I feel like ninjas are always popular, but the market is overflowing with ninja books at this point and the quality isn't always what it could be. I love buying ninja books, but I will probably skip this one as I've been buying lots of ninja books already.

The Enduring Ark is a fairly typical retelling of the story of Noah and the Ark. What makes this book unique is the artwork and design. The pages are really one long page in an accordion style. The pages unfold. You can read them the way you usually read a book or unfold it completely on a large surface to see it in sequence. The images are gorgeous and the Bengali style creates a unique view of this story. The only image that is a little jarring is the one during the flood when readers see the people who are drowning. They look relatively peaceful, but it could certainly be unsettling for some readers.

Middle Grade Through Adult

I read, and loved,  an ARC of Burn Baby Burn and will review it over at Rich in Color next month. Control was on my #MustReadin2015 list and I finally got it through ILL. It was a good young adult sci-fi. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao took some time to grow on me, but eventually I didn't want to put it down. Tricky Vic drew me in and kept me in awe of this man who could have done well had he used his talents and intelligence through legal channels. The man was rather brilliant. I also loved the illustrations.

The Coming Week:

I'm listening to Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang. It's very amusing. I'm reading one of Mary Oliver's poetry collections. I'm also reading Boarding School Blues: Revisiting American Indian Educational Experiences. I have Canary checked out through ILL that is due next weekend so will try to get that finished. Otherwise, I have several books from the library including Honor Girl and Lumberjanes. I bought American Ace for review next week at Rich in Color. I really enjoy Marilyn Nelson so I'm looking forward to that one. I wish you a wonderful week filled with great books.

Celebrating My Ukelele

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

This week I'm celebrating my ukelele. I had gift money from Christmas and used it to purchase this pretty ukelele. I'd been thinking about learning how to play for a few reasons. First, when I read Amanda Palmer's book, The Art of Asking, she shared about getting a ukelele. Here's a video of her talking about that.

She also has a ukelele anthem. A warning: it is not for elementary school. 

I entertained the thought of getting one, but then let the idea go until I heard Emily Arrow sing and play the ukelele on the Let's Get Busy Podcast.  She's was a K-8 music teacher, but has now become a kidlit singer/songwriter. I loved hearing the song she uses to begin storytime. I've been singing it with my kindergarten and first grade classes sometimes and have thought it would be great to have a ukelele too. Here's one of her songs based on the book Are We There, Yeti?

If you want to hear more of Emily's work, visit her website. She has an album coming out next month and I'm looking forward to getting it. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, el rey del fútbol

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.

This is my first post for 2016. The past two years I participated and have read around 80 nonfiction picture books each time. This year my goal is 100.

Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, el rey del fútbol 

written by Monica Brown/illustrated by Rudy Guitérrez

This book shares the life and career of Pelé. He is a legend. Many of my students love soccer so I'm happy to have this book for them to learn about this amazing athlete. The illustrations are vibrant and energetic. The text is exciting and informative at the same time. The text is also bilingual which is something I love. We have students in our school with two or more languages represented at home and I always enjoy having books that reinforce bilingualism and show that it's a positive thing and is something to celebrate. This is an older title, 2009, but I was happy to discover it.

This book will pair well with a few fiction picture books that I already use in my classes: 

The Sock Thief written by Ana Crespo/illustrated by Nana Gonzalez

Soccer Star written by Mina Javaherbin/illustrated by Renato Alarcão

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.

Last Week on the Blogs:

Reading Wrap-Up 

#MustReadin2016 

Review: A Friend for Lakota

Celebrating Our Mock Awards 

Our Mock Caldecott and Pura Belpré

Last Week in Books:

 

Dreamquake and Tales of the Madman Underground were the final two books I was reading for the #NerdPrintz Challenge (hosted by Kathy at The Brain Lair & promoted by Brian Wyzlic) that I began back in 2012. It took me four years, but I finally finished all of the Printz winners and honor books. I liked both of these books, but after reading all of the books, I am still relatively convinced that if you want to win a Printz, it is best if you write a dark, complex, mature and maybe even rather bizarre book. I liked what Hannahlily at Dismal Whimsy wrote about one potential Printz honor book, "sounds like just the relatively-obscure-book-by-a-respected-but-not-famous-author-about-super-serious-and-mature-themes that gets Printz honors." I enjoyed many of the books, but found some to be very puzzling choices from the committees. I am really looking forward to hearing the 2016 announcements of the ALA Youth Media Awards.

My Beloved World was a fabulous memoir from Sonia Sotomayor. I had read two picture book biographies so I was very interested when I saw it was an audio book that was available. She has had a very interesting life and I really admire her ability to face challenges head on and go after what she wants. 

Captain and the Case of the Missing Bananas was quite a strange little book, but I think it will have silliness appeal. It is a mystery, but has some bathroom humor to go along with it. I found the illustrations fun. 

America, My New Home is a collection of poems express feelings and thoughts of a child after moving from a village in Jamaica to the big city life of the U.S. The poems show some of the losses like being a nameless person in a huge city instead of a beloved well-known member of a small community. The poems also show new experiences like going to the circus and seeing artwork by world famous artists. The young girl shares her fears as she stays in the apartment alone while her mother takes classes at night. She also lets readers experience the joy of her new friendship. This would be a great book to pair with the wordless picture book Here I Am by Patti Kim which is also an immigrant story, but told in a very different way. 

Aaron and Alexander caught my eye because I recently listened to the musical Hamilton. Between the information in the musical and this picture book, I have a lot of questions now. Obviously for the musical, some license was taken with interactions, but there were distinct differences. Now I want to do more research. The picture book was a simple way to explain what had to have been a rather complex relationship. 

The Coming Week:

I am smack in the middle of two books right now, Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina (really enjoying it so taking it slowly) and Control by Lydia Kang (ILL so will likely finish it first). I  started another audiobook, Let's Just Say it Wasn't Pretty by Diane Keaton and it's amusing. The next novel I will pick up is The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. My plan is to see Junot Diaz speak in early February so I need to get started on that one. I read This is How You Lose Her last year, but that's the only one of his books I've read. It's over 300 pages, so I should get that going. Aside from that, I also plan to read American Ace by Marilyn Nelson for review at Rich in Color. It's supposed to be released tomorrow. It's another novel in verse and I really loved How I Discovered Poetry the last one of hers that I read. That's the plan, but as usual, I may not stick to it. I hope you have a wonderful week filled with great books.

Challenge Update: 
Goodreads Challenge - 13/550
Diversity on the Shelf 2016 - 6/225 (goal = 50% of my books by or about POC)
LGBTQIA Challenge - 0/21-31
ReadPOC Challenge - 4/125

Celebrating our Mock Awards

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

This week we had our final votes for our Mock Caldecott and Mock Pura Belpré. It was fantastic to have so many excellent books in common with each other and to discuss the merits of the illustrations - and the writing in the case of the Pura Belpré.

I wrote a post that gives all of the details at our school blog. You may find that here. If you want to skip reading one more post, you may at least see our results.

 

 

I wish you a wonderful week filled with celebrations.

Review: A Friend for Lakota

Title: A Friend for Lakota
Authors: Jim and Jamie Dutcher
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Pages: 32
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction
Review copy: Final copy provided by publisher
Availability: On shelves now

Summary from Publisher: The sweet tale of Lakota, the shy wolf pup, is sure to touch the heart of any animal lover. Readers will marvel at Lakota's strength growing up as the lowest-ranking and frequently picked-on member of a wolf pack until he finally finds that supportive and nurturing friend he's always wanted. The book also introduces young readers to the need for conservation awareness: through Lakota's life story, readers will come to understand the many challenges faced by wolves in the wild today.

My Thoughts: This book is filled with wonderful photographs of a wolf pack and their day-to-day interactions. I understand that they were trying to create a story line that shows how to stand up to a bully and not be a bystander. It seemed a little awkward. Yes, wolves are a social crew like people, but they aren't people. It's not exactly a mirror of human behavior. It mostly works, but it seems a little forced to push the topic of bullying in there. It doesn't ruin the book, but it could have just been a story of companions/friendship. Children will likely enjoy the close-up photos of these beautiful animals. The text is a moderate length.

The back matter explains about the study that the authors were doing and how they did it over a span of six years. They also provide plenty of resources for learning about wolves and bullying. They also explain the origin of the name Lakota and some of the Lakota Sioux design elements that they used to decorate the pages.

Like most National Geographic Kids books, the photographs are amazing. This would be an additional purchase for me though.

#MustReadin2016

A big thank you to Carrie Gelson for hosting the #MustReadin2016 Challenge. It will help me stay focused on these titles. I went through my "to-read" shelf on Goodreads (1,315 strong) to get some of the titles. Others are because I am trying to read from a few lists. I want to read more of the books that have won the American Indian Youth Literature Award. I also want to read more of the books that have won the Stonewall Award. That will help with another challenge I'm doing - The LGBTQIA Challenge hosted by Alexia at Pretty Deadly Reviews. I'll be going for the Green Level 21-30 books. I may bump it up later, but I am aiming for that to start.

Two of the books are by Junot Diaz and I'm reading those because I will be going to hear him speak in about a month. That reminds me I ought to start them very soon.

Once again I have compiled a rather lengthy list (54). You may find the complete listing on my Goodreads #MustRead2016 shelf. Many of the books will be part of my reading for another challenge - Diversity on the Shelf 2016 this year it's hosted by Akilah at The Englishist.

I'm really excited about this year of reading and want to run over to my chair and get started right now. Happy reading!

Reading Wrap-Up

I was involved in a lot of Reading Challenges (formal and informal) in 2015 and ultimately read over 600 books. 

Here are some of the other challenges I did:

Diversity on the Shelf hosted by Alysia

 
I had the goal to read 25+ books by or about people of color. I posted 93 reviews on Alysia's site. 32 of them were picture books, 50 were middle grade and young adult books, and the other 11 were adult books. I ended up with 233 books on Goodreads that I tagged Diversity on the Shelf 2015 though. That means that I reviewed and posted a little less than half of the books that would have qualified. I'm looking forward to doing this challenge again. This year it will be hosted by Akilah at The Englishist, but the challenge will remain pretty much the same.

#MustReadin2015 hosted by Carrie Gelson

I skimmed one and read 49 of the 53 books I had on my list. I wrote about that challenge here.

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted by Alyson at Kid Lit Frenzy

I participated as much as I was able to, but even when I didn't post reviews, I was reading more nonfiction looking for good books to highlight for this challenge. I read 86 nonfiction picture books this year that I recorded on my Goodreads shelf.

An Unconventional Librarian's Diversity Reading Challenge

In this challenge hosted by Pam, we were to read 12 books that met specific qualifications. Here is my list of 12/12.

Around the World with Books hosted by Crini at All About Books

This challenge involved creating a map of the settings of the books I read over the course of the year. My map may be found here. It was kind of cool to visually see where I was reading around the world. I had no idea that there are so many books based in New York City. I also quickly noticed that I didn't have many books in South America at the beginning of the year.

My Unofficial Challenges

Printz Challenge

I decided that I wanted to finish reading all of the Printz Award and honor books this year. I had already read 51 of them over the years. I finished another 24 this year and I think that leaves me with two more to read. So close.

Pura Belpré Challenge

I had already read many of the Pura Belpré books, but because this year is the 20th anniversary, I wanted to make sure I had read all of the winners and honor books. I read many of them in the past and in 2014 when I started the challenge. I finished the other 33 this year and am all caught up at least until the ALA YMA announcements next week.

Best Multicultural Books of 2014

The Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature creates a "Best Of" list each year. I wanted to make sure that I read all of the titles on the list. I had already read many of them, but finished the rest this year.

Whew! That was a ton of reading. I loved much of what I read this year and am looking forward to another great year of reading.