It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Hello and Good Morning Lit. Mates!

Bridge to Terabithia (Unabridged)

by Katherine Paterson

Literary Awards

Newbery Medal (1978), Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1978), Zilveren Griffel (1983), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (1979)

This book fits into my Semester Challenge in two ways, it is a Newbery award winner and it is also on the Banned and Challenged list.  Several states banned this book in schools because of the use of profanity, elaborate mystical fantasy, and their thoughts that the book could mislead children.

Readers are guided through this mysterious story that can easily blend with our own experiences.  The theme to this story is friendship, particular to this story is that the friendship is between a boy and girl and based on the uniqueness of each.

Jess Arron’s the main character along with his best and only friend Leslie Burk.  Leslie is a Tom boy and the only child to hippie parents.  Jess is a boy who wants to be the fastest runner in school, he is also artistic (the only artist in his family).  He is from a family of 5 children and his parents have little money. Jess has tension is life daily, he is the only boy in the family, he has little in common with his father, his mother has high demands from him at such a young age, and there in Janis Avery the bully at school.  He becomes friends with Leslie Burks who is the only person at school that is a faster runner than he is. Though she beats him in the race he wants to win.

bridge

These two children are from very different families and yet they become best friends and build the sacred place of Terabithia, a fort across a stream from where they live in the country.  They enjoy playing in their secret world where they are king and queen and fight enemies and have many other adventures.

One day Jess goes to a museum and while he is gone Leslie dies. Just like that! Things are moving along in the school year they are plotting revenge on Janis Avery and BOOM, something horrific happens that Jess cannot reconcile the entire mood of the book shifts. Now Jess is the fastest runner in the 5th grade.  Jess is distraught and lonesome but discovers friendship in his sister who will become the new Queen of Terabithia

Also this past week I was able to slide in a few picture books.

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin (with CD)

by Joe Troiano, Susan Banta (Illustrator)

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano and Susan Banta

Spookley The Square Pumpkin was born a misfit until he found is purpose!  This is children’s fiction book with a holiday theme.

Who Am I? Snowy Animals

by DK Publishing

This peep whole book is for 0-preschool as the book is read to them they can  discover animals that live in cold places like Siberia! They will learn about birds and mammals in this board book. The animals are presented in a warm fuzzy way and the entire book is interactive.

The Runaway Bunny (Over the Moon #1)

by Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illustrator)

This is a children’s picture board book that is unique because every other page is black and white pictures followed by the following pages being full color. Bunny seems to be testing his mother’s love as he tells her that he will run away from her and she reassures him no matter where he goes she will go and find him. This is a heartwarming book that reassures young minds that they are loved. Recommended for all age groups.

Gator

by Randy Cecil

Gator is a carousel animal in this beginning readers picture book. Gator leaves his friend the duck to go out into the world with an empty heart after the carousel shuts down. He finds no solace out in the world but does find a family who remembers him and is willing to go back to the carousel for a ride, so Gator leads the way as others follow.

I Love You, Good Night
by Jon Buller, Susan Schade, Bernadette Pons (Illustrations)

This children’s book is enough to make anyone have a heartwarming smile. It is meant to read as a bed time story and is filled with many ways to tell a child in reassuring way how much they are loved. This picture book can quiet the fears of a child as a caregiver in a silly tone or serious tone tells the child how much they are loved. I would recommend this book for all ages 0-99 years!

One Sunny Day
by Tammi Salzano

This is a fun silly book that holds the attention of toddlers and preschool children because of the bright atractive pictures.  A reader can find silly pictures in this board book that has a tactile shiny sun on each page and a cuddly bear wearing his star sunglasses. Toddlers and preschoolers will love this story has the bear travels through a sunny day in a sandbox and much more.

Elvis The Rooster Almost Goes To Heaven (I Can Read Level 3) by Denys Cazet

Rocky the duck (I think he is a duck maybe he is a goose?) saves the day in this children’s picture book.  The problem is Elvis’ Rooster pride getting in his way. So, when he stays in bed waiting to die because he thinks he’s lost his purpose, his friend Rocky gets all the chickens rallied together to help Elvis get his “pluck” or was it “cluck” back and be an awesome rooster again.

One thing that caught my attention was the chapter book format for the newly independent reader.  In this book a child can demonstrate to themselves their ability to read whole chapters while learning how to take care of others.