July #bookaday wrap-up

Why does July always pass by so quickly?!   After a trip to the library, I continued reading some of the books that are nominated for this year's NC Children's Book Award.   The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet is on the picture book list.   I decided to listen to the audio book (it's on EPIC!) because Carmen Agra Deedy narrates it herself.   Anyone who has heard her telling of her book Martina the Beautiful Cockroach knows that she is an amazing storyteller.  (If you haven't heard it, what are you waiting for?   It's the best!)   I am looking forward to reading this book with my classes and bringing her marvelous voice back into our library.    I had also checked out Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.  This one is on the NC Junior Book Award list.  This is an really nice collection of rather simplified biographical sketches.  It gives just enough of each woman's story to make a reader want to seek out more information.  The illustrations are ... well... sweet.  And I mean that in the nicest of ways.   Our girls will be drawn to this book.

After reading Little Leaders, I had to read its sister book Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World.  Oh, this one was good, too!  The one page/ one illustration format for each woman was the same as in Little Leaders.  The women were from all over the world -- going back for centuries. 

I've also started reading the books I will use when our students join in once again for the Global Read Aloud.  This year, the picture book Global Read Aloud is centered around an author study of Yuyi Morales.  I had read her book Dreamers earlier this summer, so I picked up Viva Frida on my most recent library visit.  As I read through this artistically bilingual book, I had a feeling I had met Frida before.   Ah, I had!  This is a tribute to Frida Kahlo, an artist I had read about in Little Dreamers.  Well, I needed to learn more, so I found another biography in the library about her:  Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos.  I think our students are going to enjoy learning about her and her art.

I read a couple of other books by Yuyi Morales.   Nino Wrestles the World is one we already have in our library.  It has been popular.  Students will be excited to see that it is one we will read for the Global Read Aloud.  I also read Rudas: Nino's Horrendous Hermanitas.  This one is not on the scheduled reading list, but I'm pretty sure it'll be another popular one when we add it.

July was the month of our family vacation.   Our destination this year was San Francisco, so I found some ebooks on our NC WiseOwl ebook collection about San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.   I finished up The Season of Styx Malone while we were traveling. 

Two of my favorite books I read this month are Alma and How She Got Her Name and The Remember Balloons.   Oh, these books!   If I start writing about my love for these books, I'll go on for pages.  Maybe another day.   Just read them.   They're so good.

And the rest of the books I read this month:

It has been a good month of #bookaday reading!   Looking for more reading days in August.