It’s May! We made it through another soggy April, and now it’s time for all those long-awaited May flowers. Alas, being in raincity as I am, there will probably be more than a few rainy days in May, but I’m going to keep thinking positively.
It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date, and adapted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts with a children’s/YA focus. The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. These weekly roundups are a great way to discover new blogs and bloggers, share some of the titles you’ve been enjoying, and add to your ever-growing to-read list.
I put two reviews up on the blog last week that you might want to go back and take a look at! Love Is takes a warm and gentle look at loving someone and learning to let them go, trusting that you’ve prepared them and given them the best possible start in life.
What Matters encourages readers to do their part, however small it might seem, to help make our Earth a greener, healthier place for everyone.
I also recently wrote about my visit to the small northern Japanese city of Otaru – beautiful, but cold, cold, COLD! If you’re planning a winter visit, be sure to pack warmly.
I’ve got a handful of delightful picture books to share this Monday, I hope you enjoy them!
When Bob turned out the light, he spots a pair of eyes glowing ominously in the darkness. Who could it be?! This is a fun guessing-game book to share with an audience – kids love shouting out answers, and while some of the night-time residents of Bob’s room are fairly easy to guess (a mouse, a cat, a dog), others are a bit more of a surprise (like a friendly Bigfoot passing by the window). Funnily enough, the part of the story that cracked the kids up the most was the name “Bob”, which I must admit is a pretty fun word to say!
In this wordless picture book, a little girl makes her way home from school on a snowy, blustery day, only to come across a tired, frozen little wolf cub who’s been separated from its pack. The little girl decides to reunite the cub with its family, braving both the harsh weather and the dangers of the forest. Her bravery and kindness are in turn rewarded when she herself is overcome by exhaustion, all alone and far from home. I’ve spoken about my love of wordless picture books in the past, and Wolves in the Snow is another lovely addition to the genre that provides ample opportunities for readers to explore the illustrations and create their own stories.
Bear and Hare are an adorable pair, and in this instalment of Emily Gravett’s charming series, Bear and Hair try their hands (er, paws) at fishing! Bear is less than successful, reeling in pretty much everything but fish, but he doesn’t give up, and his patience is eventually rewarded with a mighty catch. The sparse text is perfect for emergent readers or language learners, and pairs beautifully with the illustrations to create a title that is accessible without being babyish.
Have a great first day of May, friends!
Loved Love Is… and Wolf in the Snow. The illustrations in both really stood out to me.
I thought so too, they’re quite unique!
This is a delightful list of picture books Jane. Holly Hatam’s illustrations in What Matters are just gorgeous! I now need to read the Bear and Hare series.
Bear and Hare are a very sweet pair!
You’ve got a terrific round up of picture books this week! I loved Wolf in the Snow and I can’t wait to check out the other ones you mentioned. I’m sure we’ll have our share of rainy days in which to read them! Have a great week!
That’s definitely one good thing about rainy days – they’re perfect for curling up with a good book!
What a great selection of books. I’m adding Love Is to my wishlist.
Saturday was my the junior to cadette bridging ceremony in San Francisco. My daughter and I are sore and sunburnt from our adventure but we had fun. Come see what I’m reading.
I hope you enjoy Love Is!
Oh, how I long for the chance to get sunburnt!
What Matters looks really cute!
Loved your Otaru post! Sounds like a great place to visit- especially for that beer hall!- but maybe when snow is not in the forecast.
Northern Japan is definitely pretty wintery – far more wintery than my part of Canada, which the locals found pretty hilarious!
I love seeing all of the picture books. The youngest of the two girls I babysit has grown out of them and I have been in withdrawal. Ha ha. Have a lovely first week of spring.
That’s one of the nicest perks of being a librarian – you get to enjoy so many wonderful books! I don’t have any little ones of my own yet, so I get to share all these picture books with the kids at the library. ^_^
I love your theme
It’s so positive and uplifting. Hope May is less soggy than April!
Thank you! I sure hope so too, though it’s starting on a pretty soggy note!
My kids are grown, but I still love to read picture books. These look delightful, especially the one about Bob. Yes, it’s just fun to say “Bob” :)!
Yes, I love picture books, the art and the creativity is just wonderful!
I loved your reviews of Love is and What Matters so looking forward to hear about Goodnight, Bob and Wolf in the snow
Thank you!! That is high praise, given how awesome your reviews always are!
What a great litrl selection of books! I’m such a bookworm and I’ve recently ordered myself some new ones. I’m like an adult version of Matilda
Me too!! She was always my idol growing up. ^_^
I’ve been wanting to read Love Is but a part of me thinks it’ll be too cute so I’ve been avoiding it.
Oh, it’s pretty darn cute, but to be honest, under my tough, cynical exterior, I am an absolute sap, so I got pulled right in.
Lovely picture books you have here! I have just taken note of What Matters and will be borrowing it from our library this weekend – looks like my kind of title. I am looking forward to finding Love Is as well. ?