City Beet (Tziporah Cohen)

 

Super cute way of engaging in learning about cooperation and community.

Goodreads says:

When a notice for a community potluck is posted, Victoria and her neighbor Mrs. Kosta decide to bring a beet salad as their contribution. But first they need to grow this special vegetable for their dish. They plant the seeds in their garden plot, and throughout the summer they water, fertilize, weed, and mulch. And they watch their beet grow and grow and grow. On potluck day, it's time to harvest so they can make their salad. Victoria grabs the garlic and the grater and Mrs. Kosta steps up to remove the beautiful red veg from its underground home. But their care and attention has grown the biggest beet ever, and it stubbornly refuses to come loose. This beet won't budge! Will Victoria and Mrs. Kosta be able to make their special salad? Not to worry--help comes in all shapes and sizes. This clever, humorous take on an old folktale is a celebration of community and the ways we all come together. Back matter includes a beet salad recipe.

Threads: Zlata's Ukrainian Shirt (Lina Maslo)

 

A good story to read about communism and the on-going disputes between Russia and Ukraine. It was published in 2024, so the Russian invasian had started - but it's not mentioned.

Goodreads says:

Threads is an inspiring picture book about a girl’s survival of the 1930s Ukrainian Famine-Genocide, messaging hope, pride for one's heritage, and context for today's War in Ukraine.

The threads on Zlata’s beautiful birthday blouse were knotted by her mother’s hands. “Red is for love, and black is for sadness,” her Papa says. Her Mama warns her not to show it off. Ever since the Communists came from Russia to Ukraine, they prohibited the teaching of Ukrainian culture. They’ve even taken the grain from Zlata's family's fields. But despite the danger, her parents refuse to give up their art, language, or beliefs.

As Zlata works to help her community survive, she finds that the dream of freedom is stitched deeper into the Ukrainian spirit than she could ever imagine.

Drawing from her own family’s experience in the 1932-33 Ukrainian Famine-Genocide, Lina Maslo weaves a thoughtful story that dares us not the forget the pain of the past as it informs the present conflict in Ukraine and inspires hope for the future.

Lunch From Home (Joshua David Stein)

 

This is a big topic and it comes up at school all the time. 

Goodreads says:

What happens when a child's favorite packed lunch is met with disparaging comments at the school lunch table?

In a classroom of sandwiches, four students stand out with their homemade, culturally-specific lunches. But before they can dig in and enjoy their favorite foods, their lunches are spoiled by scrunched noses and disgusted reactions from their sandwich-eating classmates.

Follow each of the four students as they learn to cope with their first "lunch box moments" in this picture book that encourages empathy and inspires all readers to stand up for their food! Inspired by the "lunch box moments" of four acclaimed chefs, Ray Garcia, Preeti Mistry, Mina Park, and Niki Russ Federman, this heartwarming story reminds us all that one's food is a reflection of self and an authentic celebration of culture.

The Squirrells Who Squabbled (Rachel Bright)

 

Super cute illustrations and a page where you have to turn the book....all things we love! I love how the squirrels laughed at themselves too. 

Goodreads says:

Two greedy squirrels learn to share in the third hilarious rhyming adventure from the bestselling creators of THE LION INSIDE.

Greedy squirrels Cyril and Bruce both have their sights on a very special prize: THE VERY LAST NUT OF THE SEASON! As the nut bounces crazily though the forest, the squirrels race after it, between the trees, over boulders, down the river and - ARGH! - right to the edge of a waterfall! Working together might be the only way to save themselves now ...

A laugh-out-loud tale about friendship and sharing from the bestselling creators of THE LION INSIDE and THE KOALA WHO COULD. Perfect for competitive friends and sibling rivals!

Memory Jars (Vera Brosgol)

 

This would be a great book to read before we start working on our memory books at the end of the school year! 

Goodreads says:

A young girl finds a clever way to keep her favorite things--and people--close to her forever in Memory Jars, from Caldecott Honoree Vera Brosgol.



Freda is devastated when she can't eat all the delicious blueberries she's picked. She has to wait a whole year before they're back, and she doesn't want to lose them! Then Gran reminds her that they can save blueberries in a jar, as jam. So Freda begins to save all her favorite things. But it turns out that saving everything also means she can't enjoy anything, and Freda realizes that some things are best saved as memories.

Reviews
Upset that she can't eat every bucketful of blueberries she picked with her gran all in the same afternoon ("they were the best right then and they'd never be any better"), a lovably quirky girl takes "preserving" to a whole new level. Add Brosgol's signature big-eyed characters, a touch of dark humor and a mouthwatering jam recipe, and you've got all the ingredients for a sequel. -The New York Times

50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food (Susan Albers)

I am an emotional eater and am trying to change that about myself. If you can't find a way to distract a food obsession by reading this book, there's no hope! LOL Lots of ideas! This is a good book to figure out what works for you - if you really know yourself.

I think I'm on the right track with mindfulness and meditation. I will keep working on that!

Goodreads says:

Food has the power to temporarily alleviate stress and sadness, enhance joy, and bring us comfort when we need it most. It's no wonder experts estimate that 75 percent of overeating is triggered by our emotions, not physical hunger. The good news is you can instead soothe yourself through dozens of mindful activities that are healthy for both body and mind.

Susan Albers, author of Eating Mindfully, now offers 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, a collection of mindfulness skills and practices for relaxing the body in times of stress and ending your dependence on eating as a means of coping with difficult emotions. You'll not only discover easy ways to soothe urges to overeat, you'll also learn how to differentiate emotion-driven hunger from healthy hunger. Reach for this book instead of the refrigerator next time you feel the urge to snack-these alternatives are just as satisfying!

Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Start a Club by Accident (Julie Falatko)

One of my students gave me this book to read. He said, "This is really good. You have to read it."

I can see why he thought it was really good. It's silly and fun. Ever wondered what your dog is thinking? This book will give you insight into that! These dogs love their owners, meat, cheese and running in circles. Seems legit!

Goodreads says:

Sassy and Waldo love school! Everything smells like meat and dirty socks! And they love being able to help Stewart.

When Stewart has to stay late after school for a Junior Office Supply Enthusiasts meeting, Sassy and Waldo are left alone to raid the cafeteria's refrigerator. As Sassy and Waldo's after school antics escalate, hilarity ensues as the two dogs start a club...by accident. 

Better Than Before (Gretchen Rubin)

Strangely, I haven't blogged this book! This is a book I try to re-read every six months. I just finished a re-read and I still love it. It is a good review of how to get good habits into my life and to help them be routine...you know, like a habit should be!

What I like about Gretchen Rubin is that she accounts for differences in personalities. Everyone has their own personality quirks (although, she does put people into categories) that make it so that what works for one person does not work for another. The first part of the book is about recognizing what kind of a person you are. She has a sorting called The Four Tendencies but she doesn't just stop there. She talks about other traits:

Larks versus Owls
Marathoners, sprinters and procrastinators
Under buyers and over buyers
Simplicity and abundance lovers
finishers and openers
Familiarity lovers and novelty lovers
Promotion versus prevention focused
Small steps versus big steps.

After that, she talks about many different strategies for implementing habits:
- monitoring
- Foundation
- Scheduling
- Accountability
- Abstaining versus moderating
- Pairing
etc

She also discusses things that we do to sabotage our new good habits....
- convenience versus inconvenience
- safeguards
- loop-holing

The chapter about rewards was really interesting. It really reminded me of a lot of what I've read on children and rewards for behavior. We need to be careful about rewards.

She cites a lot of research and this time I noticed that she organizes her notes about this research in a reader friendly way.

I totally recommend this book!

Goodreads says:

The author of the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, tackles the critical question: How do we change? 
 
Gretchen Rubin's answer: through habits. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.
 
So if habits are a key to change, then what we really need to know is: How do we change our habits?
 
Better than Before answers that question. It presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits—and to change them for good. Infused with Rubin’s compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better than Beforeexplains the (sometimes counter-intuitive) core principles of habit formation. 
 
Along the way, Rubin uses herself as guinea pig, tests her theories on family and friends, and answers readers’ most pressing questions—oddly, questions that other writers and researchers tend to ignore: 

• Why do I find it tough to create a habit for something I love to do? 
• Sometimes I can change a habit overnight, and sometimes I can’t change a habit, no matter how hard I try. Why? 
• How quickly can I change a habit? 
• What can I do to make sure I stick to a new habit? 
• How can I help someone else change a habit? 
• Why can I keep habits that benefit others, but can’t make habits that are just for me? 

Whether readers want to get more sleep, stop checking their devices, maintain a healthy weight, or finish an important project, habits make change possible. Reading just a few chapters of Better Than Before will make readers eager to start work on their own habits—even before they’ve finished the book

People (Peter Spier)

This book is full of amazing facts and illustrations. We just touched the tip when we read it aloud. My class was very eager for it to be put in our library corner so that they could take in more of the details in all the illustrations. I loved that it also touched on how some people are afraid of or hate other people because they're different than what they're used to. Good topic for our political world today!

Goodreads summary:

With updated statistics and current geographical information, People by Peter Spier, first published in 1980, is a solid addition to any collection. Detailed facts and figures as well as a focus on the issue of diversity make this a great book for reference and a basis for discussion, both at home and in the classroom.