What Ms. Moore Was Reading - December 2017

Here are some of the most recent books I've read and thought my students would like. They're all available from the public library, but any donations towards getting them into our collection are most welcome! All cover images and descriptions are from Goodreads.

Picture Books
(Actually, the only ones I liked in December were all picture books)

With just three or four words per page, this story follows a baby owl one night as he leaves the safety of his nest (Home/ Mama/ Brother/ Sister) and explores the starry world around him (Soar/ Glide/ Swoop/ Swoosh). Inspired by reverso poetry, the words reverse in the middle when the baby owl is startled upon seeing his reflection in the pond (Owl/ Sees/ Owl). Afraid of it, little owl takes off toward home, soaring over farms and forests (Swoosh/ Swoop/ Glide/ Soar) until he is finally safely home again (Sister/ Brother/ Mama/ Home).

This is not a book - it's a laptop, a pair of hands to clap, a toolbox! Each spread of this book is actually something else entirely, challenging young readers to see things quite differently! Turning the page and finding a full-sized image of piano keys will invite children to swing the book on its side for imaginative play; turning the page again to find a monster with its mouth wide open will prompt children to use the book to chomp everything around them! The result stretches beyond the pages of this book, prompting readers to think creatively about other objects in their daily lives.

With haunting echoes of the current refugee crisis this beautifully illustrated book explores the unimaginable decisions made as a family leave their home and everything they know to escape the turmoil and tragedy brought by war. This book will stay with you long after the last page is turned.

A young girl tries to teach her robot how to pretend, but how do you use your imagination when you're a robot? Sias's vivid cartoons lend wit and warmth to a funny friendship.

A tiny dog, a kindhearted girl, and a nervous juggler converge in a cinematic book in four acts.

As trees sway in the cool breeze, blue jays head south, and leaves change their colors, everyone knows--autumn is on its way!

Join a young girl as she takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says good-bye to summer and welcomes autumn.