The Reindeer Christmas (Moe Price)

I suppose it all had to start somewhere. It would be fun to read this to students and make up stories about different animals pulling Santa's sleigh. Crocodiles? Elephants?

Goodreads summary:

In this delightful original story, readers learn how Santa chose reindeer as the animals that would pull his sleigh. “Morozumi’s sumptuous, textured watercolors feature earthy winter tones with splashes of holiday reds and greens. Her scenes depicting the flying animals’ mishaps portray just the right touch of humor without becoming slapstick.”--Publishers Weekly

What I am Reading This Week

Yea for long hours of interrupted reading over the break.

Mercy Watson a Princess in Disguise (Kate DiCamillo)

 Mercy in a prinses costume, ready for Halloween....of course!

The neighbour is still cranky. (I will keep reading this to see if she ever lightens up!) 

Baby still has a soft spot for Mercy and sneaks around Eugenia.

Mr. And Mrs, Watson are still enamoured with their porcine wonder.

Chaos ensues....the firemen come...and it all ends with a serving of toast while everyone is gathered around the table.

Loved the illustrations in this one! Hilarious story. It is sure to be a hit with my grade 3 students.

Goodreads Summary:

Can visions of treats entice a porcine wonder to wear her princess costume? Hold on for some Halloween havoc, Mercy Watson-style!

When the Watsons decide to zip their porcine wonder into a formfitting princess dress for Halloween — complete with tiara — they are certain that Mercy will be beautiful beyond compare. Mercy is equally certain she likes the sound of trick-or-TREATING and can picture those piles of buttered toast already. As for the Lincoln Sisters next door, how could they know that their cat would get into the act and lead them all on a Halloween "parade" of hysterical proportions? Kate DiCamillo’s beguiling pig is back in a tale full of treats, tricky turns, hijinks, and high humor.

Telephone (Mac Barnett)

I am a sucker for anything by Mac Barnett. This is another great one.

Who doesn't love a game of telephone? We even recently played it around the dinner table at Thanksgiving at the request of my niece. She will love this book.

The pictures in this book would be a great discussion starter for inferencing skills. You could discuss why each bird says what they say (they each are dressed up or have accessories that influence what they hear). It could also be a great starter for a discussion about how people's backgrounds influence what they hear or learn or take from relationships.

Goodreads summary: 

It's time to fly home for dinner! In this witty picture book from award-winning and bestselling author Mac Barnett, a mother bird gives the bird next to her a message for little Peter. But passing messages on a telephone line isn't as simple as it sounds. Each subsequent bird understands Mama's message according to its own very particular hobbies. Will Peter ever get home for dinner? This uproarious interpretation of a favorite children's game will get everyone giggling and is sure to lead to countless rereads. 

Owls in the Family (Farley Mowat)

What a fun book. I read it years ago, but it was really fun to read again. We picked this book for Gr. 3 Book Club this month. I am sure it will be a hit. What kid doesn't love adventures with animals?! 

It made me think of various animals we had as pets. When I was in elementary school we lived on an average. I remember playing with our sheep, Wooly, before the bus would arrive. We would have to remember to hurry clip his rope back up to the clothesline when we saw the dust from the bus at the neighbours down the road. Later he got mean and would butt us right off the deck. Then we ate him. :)

We had a lot of different animals back then: Wild cats and kittens, pigs, cows, horses, and of course, dogs. I wish I had been as adventurous as the boys in this story. We would have had more stories to tell!

This book is a book that will keep you chuckling.

I haven't read it aloud to my students, but I bet it would make a great read aloud. It isn't too long and there is a lot of funny stuff! Great read!

Reread September 2021: Read this aloud to my class. Funny how reading aloud made some things much more apparent. I found myself editing out the racist comments about black people and first nations people. My book is now edited so that I'm not humming and hawing if I read this aloud again. I wonder if books like this should be re-written to reflect some of the ideas on racism from today? The owls and other animals stories are great entertainment still.

Good reads summary: 

Every child needs to have a pet. No one could argue with that.

But what happens when your pet is an owl, and your owl is terrorizing the neighbourhood?

In Farley Mowat’s exciting children’s story, a young boy’s pet menagerie – which includes crows, magpies, gophers and a dog – grows out of control with the addition of two cantankerous pet owls. The story of how Wol and Weeps turn the whole town upside down is warm, funny, and bursting with adventure and suspense.


From the eBook edition.

Cat At the Wall (Deborah Ellis)

Deborah Ellis never disappoints. I am always surprised, though, that her books are J fiction. While she does handle difficult issues with ease, they are still very difficult issues. I'm not sure elementary or middle school kids would even come close to "getting it". But then again, maybe that is ok.

What I got from this book was similar to her book, Three Wishes. In the Israeli/Palestinian war there is so much hatred that has gone on for so long and it is so complicated, how can there even be any solution. Hating and killing is just a way of life for both sides.

But, somewhere in it all, there is still humanity. However, there is a lot of heartbreak for all to take in.

This book is definitely worth reading. It handles difficult and complex issues and makes you think.

Goodreads summary: 

A cat sneaks into a small Palestinian house on the West Bank that has just been commandeered by two Israeli soldiers. The house seems empty, until the cat realizes that a little boy is hiding beneath the floorboards.

Should she help him?


After all, she's just a cat.


Or is she?


It turns out that this particular cat is not used to thinking about anyone but herself. She was once a regular North American girl who only had to deal with normal middle-school problems -- staying under the teachers' radar, bullying her sister and the uncool kids at school, outsmarting her clueless parents.


But that was before she died and came back to life as a cat, in a place with a whole different set of rules for survival.


When the little boy is discovered, the soldiers don't know what to do with him. Where are the child's parents? Why has he been left alone in the house? It is not long before his teacher and classmates come looking for him, and the house is suddenly surrounded by Palestinian villagers throwing rocks, and the sound of Israeli tanks approaching.


Not my business, thinks the cat. And then she sees a photograph, and suddenly she understands what happened to the boy's parents, and why they have not returned. And as the soldiers begin to panic, and disaster seems certain, she knows that it is up to her to diffuse the situation.


But what can a cat do? What can any one creature do

A Chanakah Noel (Sharon Jennings)

 

This is a wonderful story. There are so many of us who live amongst people who celebrate in different ways. Everyone's traditions are special and it is nice to find ways to be a part of it even if you are not a part of that religion or culture.

 

We read this book on Tumblebooks.

 

Goodreads summary:

 

When Charlotte and her family move to France, there is a lot to adjust to. Because she can't speak French, Charlotte is put in the lowest grade, which she doesn't like. And what she dislikes the most is when Colette, a girl in her class, calls her a "foreigner." But the holidays are coming, and Charlotte is fascinated by the preparations being made for Christmas--"Noel" in French. To her disappointment, her mother tells her that this is not for their family, they will have Chanukah instead. But when Charlotte learns that Colette's family will miss Christmas too, not because they are Jewish but because they are poor, she puts aside her hurt feelings and convinces her parents that they should give Christmas to Colette's family, as a gift.