Imaginary Fred (Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers)

This book is a great bridge from our friendship unit to our imagination unit. The kids were totally captured by the story and listened intently. There is a parallel universe in this story between the imaginary world and reality.

Goodreads says:
A quirky, funny, and utterly irresistible story from Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers, two of the finest children's book creators on the planet.

Did you know that sometimes, with a little electricity, or luck, or even magic, an imaginary friend might appear when you need one? An imaginary friend like Fred.

Fred floated like a feather in the wind until Sam, a lonely little boy, wished for him and, together, they found a friendship like no other.

The perfect chemistry between Eoin Colfer's text and Oliver Jeffers's artwork makes for a dazzlingly original picture book.

The Day I Lost My Superpowers ( Michaël Escoffier)

Our second book this week by Michaël Escoffier. We have talked about super powers a lot during character time and so this was a nice find. We chuckled at the good imagination he had and all nodded in agreement that sometimes Moms really do have the powers to make everything feel better.

Goodreads says:

Childhood is a magical time when even the stuff of the day-to-day is exciting and the ordinary often seems extraordinary. A part of this magic is that with just a little imagination, we all might be found to possess true superpowers!This isn't the first or last book where a child delightedly discovers her own superpowers. But it may be just about the driest, funniest, and sweetest, where the discovery is handled with humor and charm.

One of the book's true pleasures is that it's a girl who discovers her own extraordinary abilities, and when her powers fail, as they must, she discovers them in her mom. All of which leads to a lovely intimacy between the two. 

Where's the Baboon? (by Michaël Escoffier)

We thought this would be a really fun read with Reading Buddies. We could read the big words and the grade ones could figure out the little words in the words. Lots of fun! The pictures were very interesting too.

Goodreads says:

Step right up, fearless readers! Today, in this very book, we will PROVE to you that a snake can hide in a snowflake, that pigs can paint, and that the ones who copy the most are not necessarily cats! Prepare to be AMAZED by the game of hide-n-seek the words play! These tricksters are true experts in the art of camouflage!

Michaël Escoffier was born in France in 1970. Raised by a family of triceratops, he discovered his passion for writing and telling stories at a young age. He lives in Lyon with his wife and two children.

Kris Di Giacomo is an American who has lived in France since childhood. She has illustrated over twenty-five books for French publishers, which have been translated into many languages. This is her seventh book with Enchanted Lion Books. 

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born (Jamie Lee Curtis)

Today was a special day for one of my students. It was her adoption day. She asked if she could bring in our book for today. I had assumed I would read it to the class but she really wanted to read it, and I’m so glad she did. I probably would have gotten a little teary over it all. LOL I got to know someone after she came to my town when I was growing up. She had come there to have a baby and have her be adopted. It was quite a learning experience for me. It was something I will never forget.

She explained that it was a special day for her and talked about how this book was a little different than her situation but it was about being adopted and she really loved the book. The kids were glued to the story and the conversation flowed beautifully. I was so impressed with how comfortable she was sharing her story and how the kids receive it so easily without many questions.

After, I asked the class if they had asked their parents about the day they were born and many had not and so I encouraged them to go home and do that. I was really grateful that this student could share her experience and have it overflow into an opportunity for a great discussion at home for everyone else.

Goodreads says: 

Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell, the New York Times bestselling team behind Today I Feel Silly and I’m Gonna Like Me, bring us a tender and funny picture book for every parent and child. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is a special celebration of the love and joy an adopted child creates for a family.

In asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl relives a cherished tale she knows by heart. Focusing on the significance of family and love, this a unique and beautiful story about adoption and the importance of a loving family.

A beautiful adoption story, Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born also speaks to the universal childhood desire to know more about the excitement, awe, love, and sleeplessness that a new baby brings to a family.

Tell me again about the night I was born.

Tell me again how you would adopt me and be my parents.

Tell me again about the first time you held me in your arms. 

The Upper Case: Trouble in Capital City (Tara Lazar)

Tara Lazar did it again. This story is hilarious. There is so much on every page that we could have stopped and discussed all the way through. Instead, I read it and took note of when they caught the puns. It is a story that my kids will read again and again and discover new funny things each time, I'm sure.

Goodreads says:

Just when Private I thinks all is calm-now that he's cracked the case of 7 Ate 9-Question Mark storms into the office.
Mark is worried. All the uppercase letters are M-I-S-S-I-N-G! But that's absurd. This is CAPITAL City!
Private I is the last letter standing. Will he solve his BIGGEST mystery yet, the UPPER CASE, before it's too late?!
Filled with the same humor, wit, and quirkiness of the hit 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story, comes another laugh-out-loud whodunit.

IMWAYR

Report cards have slowed me down on All The Light We Cannot See. Not only that, I have found myself wanting to slow down with it because it is so rich. I'm really enjoying. I need to get it finished though because I have some great books on my night stand waiting to be read next. They are:

Words on Fire by the great Jennifer Nielsen. I have loved every one of her books so far. I'm sure this one will be the same.

I read The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor for book club. Apparently, that was her first book. I thought it is quite the story for a first book! I decided I'd like to give some more of her books a try so The Hiding Place is the next one I plan to read.

For Grade 3 Book Club we are reading Flora and Ulysses this month. Since it's December and staying inside is sometimes nice, I'm planning on having some extra activities so I better get going on re-reading it so that I can come up with those activities. Should be fun! This book is hilarious.

Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (Chris Colfer)

This is a really fun read with all the additional insight on traditional stories. It would be a good book for kids ready for a book that is challenging yet an easy connection for them. Open up to any page and you could use much of this to teach elaborative detail. It would be fun to do this for an end of year book club pick.

Goodreads says:

Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales.
The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.