Superfab Saves the Day (Jean Leroy, Bérengère Delaporte)

This is a superhero that has no sense of time and looking good takes priority over most everything else. It all works out in the end, proving that if you focus on your strengths, you can accomplish good things. However, the problem of always being late may not be something you want to overlook. I'm not sure kids would really catch that though. They certainly did enjoy a giggle as we read this story though.

Goodreads summary:

Meet Superfab, the best-dressed superhero around. He’s got a walk-in closet, an extensive collection of outfits, and fabulous style to boot. The only problem is, he can’t leave his house to go fight crime until he has the perfect outfit on — and sometimes that takes awhile. Sometimes it takes so long that by the time he arrives at the scene of a crime, another superhero has already gotten the job done. Superfab finds himself less and less in demand, until one day he gets called to the scene and discovers that his exquisite sense of style is just the weapon he needs to beat (and befriend) this particular monster. This original take on the superhero story will have readers rooting for the underdog and celebrating Superfab’s unique pizazz. Whimsical illustrations show off the stylish side of this quirky and loveable character who knows the best way to save the day is to be true to yourself.

Big in a Vacuum (Mélanie Watt)

It took a long time for this one to come from the public library. It had a lot of holds. It is curious to me why this book is so popular because it is such a narrow topic: grief. However, the pictures are awesome and it is funny. My students didn't make any connection with the stages of grief. They just thought it was funny and had a good laugh at the pictures. I really enjoyed it too.

Goodreads summary:

A bug flies through an open door into a house, through a bathroom, across a kitchen and bedroom and into a living room ... where its entire life changes with the switch of a button. Sucked into the void of a vacuum bag, this one little bug moves through denial, bargaining, anger, despair and eventually acceptance -- the five stages of grief -- as it comes to terms with its fate. Will there be a light at the end of the tunnel? Will there be dust bunnies in the void? A funny, suspenseful and poignant look at the travails of a bug trapped in a vacuum. 

Mother Bruce (Ryan T Higgins)

This book is for all the mothers (or fathers?) out there who have days where they're a bit of a bear! It will make you laugh. The pictures and the words are hilarious. I think I enjoyed it much more than my students did - although, they did enjoy it. I think this would be a hilarious book to read in a Relief Society lesson (although, some might poo poo Bruce's unhappiness in his parenting situation). It is a great book for those willing to be honest about the fact that parenting isn't always all it's cracked up to be (no pun intended).

I think I need to own this one.

There are so many pictures I loved!

Goodreads summary:

Bruce the bear likes to keep to himself. That, and eat eggs. But when his hard-boiled goose eggs turn out to be real, live goslings, he starts to lose his appetite. And even worse, the goslings are convinced he's their mother. Bruce tries to get the geese to go south, but he can't seem to rid himself of his new companions. What's a bear to do?

Winter Lullaby (Barbara Seuling)

The pictures in this book are bright and beautiful. There aren't a lot of words, but there is lots of room for discussion, especially amongst winter experts, like my students!

Goodreads Summary:

As the natural world changes with winter's approach, young children worry about the creatures they see around them. Where do the ducks and other animals go? Will they find shelter from the cold? Will they be safe and warm? In Winter Lullaby, Barbara Seuling's reassuring, gentle verse and Greg Newbold's breathtaking paintings reveal what animals do to survive as winter takes hold.

Stella Queen of the Snow (Marie-Louise Gay)

We have recently been talking about similes and this book had a lot of great examples.


Loved the questions in this book. Some of them are questions many people wonder about. Others were questions that my students had never even thought to ask. They were quite captured by this story, which surprised me, since it is quite a simple story. Often the best ones are the simplest.

These two characters reminded my students of Max and Ruby. Me too!

I got to hear Marie-Louise Gay speak one time at Kaleidoscope. After listening to her talk about how she creates her illustrations, I was totally sold on her books. Love her!

Goodreads Summary:

In their second adventure, Stella and her little brother, Sam, spend the day discovering the wonders of winter together. Playing in the snow, they explore the white-draped forest, pelt each other with snowballs, and wave their arms while lying down in the snow to make snow angels. Marie-Louise Gay's evocative watercolors bring alive the magic of a winter day, as Sam asks a million questions and Stella patiently answers them in a big sister kind of way. 

Wolfie the Bunny (Ame Dyckman)

We started off, before we read this book, by talking about funny names our parents call us. I told them that when our daughter is cranky, we call her Jillzilla (her name is Jill). This story was written because the author had a daughter that they called Wolfie when she was cranky. We had a good laugh about it.

There were a few pictures in here that are quite interesting that my students pointed out (they're so good at that!). On one page, the shadow of the wolf looks much more ferocious than what it is reflecting. We talked about whether or not it's a real shadow or if it is reflecting what the illustrator and author thought the main character was seeing.

Goodreads summary:

The Bunny family has adopted a wolf son, and daughter Dot is the only one who realizes Wolfie can--and might--eat them all up! Dot tries to get through to her parents, but they are too smitten to listen. A new brother takes getting used to, and when (in a twist of fate) it's Wolfie who's threatened, can Dot save the day?

The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch)

Today we are "comparing and contrasting" after reading The Six Blind Men and the Elephant. To practice our compare and contrast skills we read The Paper Bag Princess and Cinderella and compared and contrasted the stories.

Goodreads summary:

One of Robert Munsch's most popular and ingenious characters is now available as a doll. Dressed in her trademark paper bag, the spunky but dishevelled Elizabeth is ready to tackle new adventures.