It's Monday! What are you reading?

Last week brought a lot of rain to Austin, TX--and only one full day with the library open, due to kindergarten registration and testing and spring photos.  I didn't want to use one of my planned picture books for read-aloud, so I pulled one off the shelves to suit the weather:  Rainy Day by Patricia Lakin, illustrated by Scott Nash.  

The text is simple and repetitive, with rhymes the students enjoyed.  Will, Jill, Pam, and Sam are crocodiles who are bored with indoor activities and decide to play outside in the rain.  It has a fun twist in the middle and an ending that arrives in my favorite place!  Rainy Day brought some joy to our Book Nook on a dreary, wet day.

We are now officially on Spring Break, and the weather cleared up this past weekend.  Out to the porch I went, pile of books in hand. Determined to read some fiction beyond elementary school level, I reached for Sioux Dog Dance: Shunk Ah Weh by Red Hawk.  It was recommended by one of my favorite English teachers, and did not disappoint.  Red Hawk's poetry is raw, vivid with detail and emotion, tackling issues relevant to Native American history as well as to the human heart.  It's been awhile since I read "adult" poetry, but now I'm itching for more.  Maybe Robert Frost will be next.

My son is a fan of Haruki Murakami (he's on his third reading of 1Q84), and has been after me to read Murakami's The Strange Library, translated by Ted Goossen.  Uniquely packaged and illustrated on every page with bold artwork, it reads like a weird, mildly horrific dream.  I'd recommend it for anyone over the age of ten who's in the mood for a quirky story without a pat ending.   

Last, but certainly not least, I've started reading Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan.  This Newbery Honor book is also one of our 2016-2017 Bluebonnet Award Nominees.  We already own a copy; I bought it last year at our Texas Library Association annual conference, signed by the author for my son, who is a huge fan of Ryan's Esperanza Rising.  He liked Echo as well, and forty pages in, I'm convinced that the 500+ pages are going to have me slipping into book coma this spring break to get it done before I return to the library.

It's Monday; what are you reading today?