We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (9/14/2020-9/20/2020).
Annamarie’s Reading
Picture Books & Readers:





- Baby Dance by Ann Taylor (board book)
- Elton John by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara (biography)
- Fly, Girl, Fly!: Shaesta Waiz Soars Around the World by Nancy Roe Pimm (biography)
- Happy Right Now by Julie Berry
- Heroes Wear Masks: Elmo’s Super Adventure by Ernie Kwiat





- Johnny’s Pheasant by Cheryl Minnema
- Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul (nonfiction)
- Louise Bourgeois by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara (biography)
- Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome
- Pop Up Peekaboo! Monsters by DK






- Sit with Me: Meditation for Kids in Seven Easy Steps by Carolyn Kanjuro
- Steve Jobs by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara (biography)
- This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Diaper You! by Ellen Mayer (board book)
- Vivienne Westwood by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara (biography)
- What I Like Most by Mary Murphy
Everything Else:






- Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
- Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy
- Journey under the Arctic by James O. Fraioli (graphic novel)
- Kodi by Jared Cullum (graphic novel)
- Snow Place Like Home by Christina Soontornvat (first chapter)
- Solve This! Forensics: Super Science and Curious Capers for the Daring Detective in You by Kate Messner (nonfiction)
Note: My reading is finally slowing down, which was about due, I think. Though I’m intentionally squeezing in more longer titles which is a nice way to balance out my reading. I’m sure picture books will pick up again soon as the October releases start to come in.
Stats for the Week:
- 25 Books Read This Week
- 13 Books with Diverse Main Character (52%)
- 9 Books by Diverse Authors (36%)
- 6 Books by Own Voices Authors (12%) (to the best of my knowledge)
Check-In on Yearly Reading:
- 1264 Books Read This Year
- 594 Books with Diverse Main Character (47%) (+11% from July)
- 352 Books by Diverse Authors (28%) (not calculated in July)
- 296 Books by Own Voices Authors (23%) (to the best of my knowledge) (+5% from July)
I am reading more diversely, as the stats are increasing. I’ve been book talking more diverse titles as well, though my storytime diversity is still weak. I actively included more material when I was working with preschoolers, but baby books and toddler books are harder to select due to finding materials that are age appropriate and work well virtually. I’m going to work harder there.
This week’s reading highlights:
- Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
- Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy
- Fly, Girl, Fly!: Shaesta Waiz Soars Around the World by Nancy Roe Pimm (biography)
- Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome
- Snow Place Like Home by Christina Soontornvat (first chapter)
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Diaper You! by Ellen Mayer (board book)
Michala’s Reading

















- King Hugo’s Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen
- Down Under the Pier by Nell Cross Beckerman illustrated by Rachell Sumpter
- Sloths (Wild Life LOL!) by Lisa M. Herrington
- Uni the Unicorn Goes to School by Amy Krouse Rosenthal illustrated by Brigette Barrager
- The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going
- Incredible Jobs You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of by Natalie Labarre
- Kerry and the Knights of the Forest by Andi Watson
- Forget Me Nat by Maria Scrivan
- Darwin’s Rival: Alfred Russel Wallaced and the Search for Evolution by Christine Dorion illustrated by Harry Tennant
- Obsessive About Octopuses by Owen Davey
- Weird Wild and Amazing!: Exploring the Incredible World of Animals by Tim Flannery
- Thank You for Voting Young Readers’ Edition: The Past, Present, and Future of Voting by Erin Geiger Smith
- Miss You Love You Hate You Bye by Abby Sher
- Kent State by Deborah Wiles
- Parachutes by Kelly Yang
- Hello Now by Jenny Valentine
- Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder
Note: Gah. Pity Party hits close to home on the feels. I lost my dad when I was 14 and no one knew how to react and there were lots of awkward conversations and encounters and this was soooo good and soooo hard to read. (A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness does that to me too.) I really need to start reading more brain candy books and things with less feels because 2020 is already killing me.
Thank you, Annamarie, for mentioning BEAR AND FRIENDS: WHERE IS BEAR?, illustrated by Clair Rossiter. I can’t wait for young readers to get their hands on a copy!