Spring Break Reading

Can I share some books with you? These titles are part of my Spring Break reading!

Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks in Spring. New York: Knopf, 2015. Print.

First, I must tell you about the Penderwicks! I just finished this one and I would say that it was the perfect book to start Spring Break. Besides actually having the word spring in the title, there were many mentions of characters pushing away snow and hoping for the sun -- much like we did here in Texas and other parts of the country as well.


From my Goodreads review:

This fourth book in the Penderwicks saga is Batty's story, and even with new family members (Lydia, age 2) and dogs (Cilantro and Duchess), the series retains its sense of magic and delight. Care for one another, family history, and each child's possession of his/her own giftings and stories all work together to make the Penderwicks world an interesting place to be. In this part of the story, Batty confronts secrets and her own talents. Revealing new emotions and surprises with page turns and dialogue, Birdsall gives us another book that carries readers blissfully away to Gardam Street. 


Next is a picture book biography I've been meaning to read for awhile:

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious. Illus. by Hayelin Choi. Bellevue, WA: Readers to Eaters, 2014. Print. 

I first heard of Alice Waters years ago. I was so impressed with her Edible Schoolyard Project, and from that day on,  I wished I could one day eat at Chez Panisse. Now, in this book by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (author of Snowflake Bentley), we learn all about how her passion for food began as a child, and how she traveled the world in search of "delicious". Her love of fresh food is our gain. Reading this book made me look at food in a whole new way-- truly. 

Johnston, Tony. Sequoia. Illus. by Wendell Minor. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2014. Print.

Just the cover of this one is enough to draw in readers. We enter the world of the Sequoia via Wendell Minor's glorious gouache watercolor illustrations. We learn how this conifer withstands every season and is witness to the animals as they live their lives around him (Johnston refers to the tree as a "he".) This picture book is a showcase of nature: fire, thunderstorms, woodpeckers, "moonrises", and more. The text is perfectly poetic: "He watches the/grove below/slowly/fill with/light." After I read this one, I did indeed feel as if I'd entered the forest and come out again to share the story. Includes informative backmattter and a bibliography.

Stead, Philip C. Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2011. Print.

I first heard Philip C. Stead speak at TLA last year (he and wife Erin are brilliant!), and well, A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Caldecott Winner for 2011) is one of my most favorite picture books --EVER. (Erin illustrated Amos McGee while Philip wrote the story.) (I should also say that Sebastian and the Balloon was on my Mock Caldecott list.) Jonathan is the main character here -- a boy with a bear named Frederick, his very best friend. But when his parents trade his bear for a toaster (yes, the kitchen kind), Jonathan hops on a blue boat in search of Frederick. It reminded me very much of Sebastian and the Balloon while at the same time being its own uniquely delightful and imaginative story. The collages in the illustrations kept my eyes searching for their origins: maps, tickets, newsprint, etc. The story is a page-turning adventure that reminds you of just why we love picture books in the first place.


My next read is an ARC I've had since MidWinter.  It's time for me to read it.

Beasley, Cassie. Circus Mirandus. New York: Dial,  2015. Print.

Now it's time for me to get back to reading. If you have a Spring Break, I hope yours is a good one.