An Ordinary Day (Elena K Arnold)

 

Well, I should have read this one ahead of reading it to my class.  

We recently put our family dog down. This was a tough one to read! 

It is a beautiful story though. 

Goodreads says:

An ordinary day in an ordinary neighborhood turns out to be quite extraordinary in this story about the circle of life.

It’s an average day in the neighborhood—children play, roses are watered, and a crow watches over it all. But then two visitors arrive at two houses, one to help a family say hello to a new baby and one to help a family say goodbye to a beloved pet.

Odder (Katherine Applegate)

 

The more I read, the more I loved this book. Somehow the internet's magic of hearing what I'm talking about started coming in to play and videos of otters would show up in various feeds...and how could I not love Odder even more?

Interestingly, this story was based on some real otters who were looked after by people who help injured wildlife.

Katherine Applegate has a magical ability to help endear a love of animals in her readers. True to her style, there is a lot of white space on the pages, which makes it a really quick read. This would be a great book for students who are working on their confidence to read chapter books.

Goodreads says:

Now a #1 New York Times bestseller! A touching and lyrical tale about a remarkable sea otter, from Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate, author of Wishtree.

Meet Odder, the Queen of Play:

Nobody has her moves.
She doesn’t just swim to the bottom,
she dive-bombs.
She doesn’t just somersault,
she triple-doughnuts.
She doesn’t just ride the waves,
she makes them.

Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known. She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself—and about the humans who hope to save her.

Inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers, this poignant and humorous tale told in free verse examines bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature’s most beloved and charming animals.

One More Mountain (Debra Ellis)

 

I loved the Breadwinner series and so I was very excited to hear that Debra Ellis had written an additional book in the series....30 years later when the Taliban return to Afghanistan. 

I should have re-read The Breadwinner series again though because I found myself grappling to remember all the characters.

Despite that, I loved this book. 

This summary was written by another reader on Goodreads (Ivonne ):

Parvana oversees a safe house in Afghanistan when the Taliban once again take over the country. Parvana is supported by her husband, Asif, and her best friend, policewoman Shauzia. The three of them met as children 20 years ago when the Taliban triumphed the first time, and they scramble to fly Parvana’s sister and her 11-year-old son Rafi out of the country and to relocate the young girls from the safe house to a safer part of the country. Nothing goes as planned, and the shocking twists will keep you turning pages.

The Innocents (Michael Crummey)

 

Honestly, I didn't finish reading this. I found it depressing and cold and even though I kept hoping something would happen that would compel me to read more....I finally just gave up. This book was for my book club and I was hoping when I went to the meeting I could get some inspiration to finish it. No luck. 

I did admire their ability to survive while alone and in such a brutal climate. I think there's an interesting connection in there somewhere between these children and the story of Adam and Eve (even their names....Ada and Evered). Ada's apple was a relic found and taken that she shouldn't take. 

There are too many good books in the world to continue reading ones I don't love.

Goodreads says:

From prizewinning author Michael Crummey comes a spellbinding story of survival in which a brother and sister confront the limits of human endurance and their own capacity for loyalty and forgiveness.

A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland's northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family's boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.
Muddling though the severe round of the seasons, through years of meagre catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.
The Innocents is richly imagined and compulsively readable, a riveting story of hardship and survival, and an unflinching exploration of the bond between brother and sister. By turns electrifying and heartbreaking, it is a testament to the bounty and barbarity of the world, to the wonders and strangeness of our individual selves. 

Albert's Quiet Quest (Isabelle Arsenault)

 This reminds me of one time when I was at the pool waiting for my kids to finish swim practice and I was reading. Someone came up to me because they were looking for someone to attend a Swim AB meeting. He said, "Are you doing anything?" My thought was, "Um....ya. I'm reading. Can't you tell?" I could also add in: go away! LOL

Sometimes life gets that way too. So much gets packed in that there's no time to just sit and be quiet and read. 

We need more of that.

Goodreads says:

Albert just wants to read his book in peace . . . why won't his friends give him some quiet? A delightful picture book about finding alone time from an internationally acclaimed illustrator.

There are so many distractions in Albert's Mile End neighborhood, what's a book-loving introvert to do? Desperate for a quiet place to read, Albert storms out to the alley behind his house where his friends and neighbors often meet to play. Lucky him -- not only is no one around today, but he finds an old painting of a beach scene that someone's left for the trash. The painting sparks Albert's imagination, spurring him on a zen-like quest for a quiet reading break on a sunset beach, a moment to unplug and find peace. And he almost does too, except for those meddling Mile End kids . . . who just want to have some fun, as LOUDLY as possible. Will Albert ever find a moment of quiet to enjoy his book? Or could his friends be looking for a book break of their own?

Readers will love this adorably relatable story of a quiet kid, his big imagination and bringing friends together through the magic of reading.

Mrs Spitzer's Garden (Edith Pattou)

 

No children are mentioned in this book, but the connection between what the teacher does to nurture and help children grow spoke to my heart. 

This would be a great book to give someone when they graduate in education or when they retire. The author write up says that she wrote it originally to give to her daughter's kindergarten teacher.

Goodreads says:

A beautiful, moving story and the perfect teacher appreciation gift

Mrs. Spitzer is a wise teacher who knows many things. She knows about gardens. She knows about children. She knows how similar they are, and how both will flourish if tended lovingly.

There are many remarkable teachers like Mrs. Spitzer in the world, and Edith Pattou's simple, moving story along with Tricia Tusa's inspired, whimsical illustrations celebrate all they do, year after year, to help our children grow and blossom.

The Great Zapfino (Mac Barnett)

 

I love it when my students start to realize styles of an author. When I said we had read other Mac Barnet books and asked if they could recall, it made them excited about this one. They were confused as to whether the circus was a dream? Or was jumping out of the window a flash back? We never could really decide.

This book is mostly wordless. Zapfino never says anything. I had the students volunteer to tell the story on each page that was wordless. The things they notice are amazing. Not giving Zapfino any dialogue or text made it more relatable for the students, I think. They could be Zapfino.

This could make for a great discussion about how we need to face our fears eventually. 

My students are always taken by black and white illustrations and ask why the author made it look like that. Usually what they ask is why did he make it so old? 

Goodreads says:

From two Caldecott Honor–winning creators comes a sweet and inspiring picture book about a runaway circus performer who learns to face his fears and follow his heart.

When The Great Zapfino climbs to the top of the circus platform, all eyes are on him, waiting for his incredible leap. But Zapfino is afraid of heights! He can’t take the pressure and flees, boards a plane, and runs away to start a new life.

In the city, Zapfino starts work as an elevator operator in a tall building but soon learns you can never really outrun your fears. When disaster strikes, can Zapfino find the strength to be great?