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.
Can you believe it’s already November? My goodness, it’s almost time for the shopping mall to start playing Christmas music! I know my American readers still have Thanksgiving coming up, but up here in Canada, once Remembrance Day is over (November 11), it’s pretty much all Christmas, all the time (heck, some place don’t even wait that long).
But we’re not quite ready to hop on the holiday bandwagon here on the blog just yet! Instead I’ve got another pile of great new books to share with you today, so let’s dive right in.
Across the course of several seemingly unrelated but ultimately connected actions by different children, we watch how kids turn a lonely island into a community-and watch a journey from what the world should be to what the world could be.
In What Can a Citizen Do? author Dave Eggers and illustrator Shawn Harris look at every day things that anyone can do to help make the world a better place, from writing a letter to reaching out to someone in need. Now, the title What Can a Citizen Do? is a bit misleading – obviously you don’t need to be a formal citizen to do any of these things, but I think they’re referring more to the idea of a citizen as being an engaged member of a community, rather than necessarily an officially government-recognized citizen. Harris’ illustrations really make this one a standout winner for me. The papercut illustrations are just fantastic! The children are very diverse, and each spread is filled with wonderful details. It’s really wonderful to look through each illustration. I particularly appreciate the text’s emphasis on remembering that we are all connected, and that the world is bigger than any one of us, which is always a valuable reminder in a me-me-me culture. If we can just make a difference in the life of one single person, we can make the whole world a better place. A beautiful, positive call to action for a troubled, unsettled time.
Source: Raincoast Books
You and Me, Me and You, Brothers
At once a sweet picture book for young children and a treasured gift for parents, this heartfelt testament to the inimitable brotherly bond goes straight to the heart.
There are lots of books about being siblings, but this upcoming November release is one of my new favourites, thanks largely to its refreshing simplicity. The text is minimal, as are the illustrations, and there’s just enough heart to be sweet without becoming cloying. Charming, playful, honest and sincere, this would make a fantastic gift for any new (or old!) brother.
Source: Raincoast Books
Would you recognize your own bum if you didn’t know it was yours? How about your dog’s bum? Or your baby’s bum?
Get ready to giggle! This new Canadian title is so much fun to share with a little one, as long as you aren’t fussed about saying the word “bum” a lot. It’s also full of some great great animal vocabulary, making it educational and fun. Definitely a silly title, but pretty cute too.
Source: Library
And in case you missed it, I made a big announcement on Saturday – I’d love it if you popped over to that post and had a read!
Have a great week, friends!
I had a copy of What Can A Citizen Do? but I sent it off to a friend to read before I could read it myself. I look forward to reading it when I get it back.
It really is a beautiful book.
Funny, I was just reading about animal bums on Linda’s post …
I know! Great minds think alike.
All these books look great but it’s Whose Bum that I want to read first. My weekly updates
It’s sure to have little ones giggling.
Oh my goodness, you have some adorable titles here! I still have not yet read What Can a Citizen Do? — but I keep hearing about it and hope to get my hands on it soon. You and Me, Me and You looks like it might even make a cute gift for an older sibling awaiting the arrival of the new baby. I just love books that explore siblinghood.
Have a wonderful reading week, Jane!
I’ll have to keep an eye out for the brothers book, it looks so adorable!
Ooh congratulations on Queenie Quail can’t Keep Up! Sounds adorable and awesome. And You and Me, Me and You Brothers and Whose Bum both sound really cute too.
Best of luck with the book!
That book does look cute. I think my great-niece would enjoy it.
We used to watch quail at a grandparents’ farm! Congratulations on your coming new book, Jane! That’s terrific! I love the Eggers book, shared it last Friday, and thanks for those other cute books. Whose Bum? looks like a big chuckle!
Very interesting reads.
Omg, Whose Bum? looks adorable! I’ll have to check that one out.
I was looking at What A Citizen Can Do in a library recently but had no time to read it. I’m sorry now that I didn’t make time! Whose Bum looks like a delightful read!
Hurrah for your book news!
What Can A Citizen Do? looks like an absolute must-read, especially in light of what is going on in the world. Thanks for sharing so many great reads this week.