June 2020 Reading Wrap Up

GOODBYE JUNE

Another month has flown by.
Another month of reading very little of my own books, but still sticking to picture books and our daily chapter book readings.
We've focused a lot on self-led education this month in anticipation of the upcoming school year (in which we don't go to school because of Covid19). We're attempting to get into a groove so we're working out the kinks and it does seem to take up a lot of time trying to figure it all out and make it a habit.

Otherwise, it's been an okay month. Not the greatest, but we fit in a few hikes, continued to observe tadpoles, and gardened a lot.

As for my reading wrap up:

Books I Read in June

Chapter Books I Read Out Loud:

Books I Started But Haven't Finished:

REVIEWS SHARED IN JUNE

Picture Books
Greta and the Giants by Zoe Tucker
The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers
Inky the Octopus by Erin Guendelsberger
You're the Hero: Pirate Adventure by Lily Murray
Why Do We Cry? by Fran Pintadera
I Am A Warrior Goddess by Jennifer Adams
All Around Bustletown: Summer by Rotraut Susanne Berner
When Emily Was Small by Lauren Soloy
Summer Green to Autumn Gold by Mia Posada

Children's Nonfiction
NatGeoKids: Extreme Ocean by Sylvia Earle
Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist by Linda Skeers
Most of the Better Natural Things in the World by Dave Eggers

MG/YA
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

Adult/Other
The Deep by Alma Katsu


Other Posts
June 2020 TBR
Top Ten Tuesday - Summer Vibes
Stacking the Shelves 2020 #3
The Sunday Post - 2020 Week 23
Top Ten Tuesday - World Oceans Day
The Sunday Post - 2020 Week 24
Top Ten Tuesday - Summer TBR
The Sunday Post - 2020 Week 25
Top Ten Tuesday - Revisiting Past TTT's
The Sunday Post - 2020 Week 26


CHALLENGE PROGRESS


ABC Challenge
May: 14/26
June: 14/26

Beat the Backlist / Tackle My TBR
May: +3
June: +2

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlotte's Web

New Release Challenge

May: + 1
June:

Deeplight
Glass Town
We Are Power

PopSugar Reading Challenge

May: +0 = 8/50
June: +0 new

Read Harder Challenge
7/24
May: +0
June: +0

1001 Books to Read Before You Grow Up
__/1001
May: +0
June:

June Music:
I love music. Music heals.
I'm always on the lookout for something new that speaks to me.
Here are some new tracks that I listened to a lot this month!

Just Sing (Trolls 2 soundtrack)
"Pink Sorbet" by Biig Piig
"Down to Earth" by Flight Facilities

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Top Ten Tuesday - Releases I'm Looking Forward To!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and taken over by That Artsy Girl in 2018. 

Hey bloggers!

I have not been keeping up with new releases like I used to so there are a couple of early 2021 thrown in here. 

Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2020

Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3)  by  Victoria Schwab
(So I thought this was coming out in Sept but now the pub date is March 2, 2021. *side eye*)
&
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue  by  V.E. Schwab (October 6, 2020 from Tor)

Fable by Adrienne Young

(September 1, 2020 by Wednesday Books)

&

Across the Green Grass Fields (Wayward Children #6) by Seanan McGuire

(January 12, 2021 by Tor)

A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes #4)  by  Sabaa Tahir
(December 1, 2020)
&
Lobizona  by  Romina Garber


What new releases are you looking forward to?
Feel free to link to your TTT in the comments!


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The Sunday Post - 2020 Wk 26 - 1st Week of Summer

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

and is a chance to share news, both new and old!

Hey there, bloggers!Here's my week at a glance!

Currently Reading:

Recently Finished:

Recent Reviews:

We shared our review for the fun look-and-find board book, All Around Bustletown: Summer by Rotraut Susanne Berner, for the publisher, and When Emily Was Small by Lauren Soloy, for Netgalley. We also dug into some great children's nonfiction with Summer Green to Autumn Gold: Uncovering Leaves' Hidden Colors by Mia Posada, which is great for both nature and seasonal study and focus on how leaves change colors!

I also reviewed the graphic novel, Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontes by Isabel Greenberg, which was uniquely illustrated with interesting parallels to the classic novels I've read by the sisters. 

Other Posts:
Top Ten Tuesday - Revisiting Past TTT's


What I'm Watching: 

We watched the old 1973 cartoon adaptation of Charlotte's Web after finishing the story and then watched the 2006 version later on.

Off the blog:

This week has been physically and mentally exhausting.
I've been feeling stretched thin and have fallen behind on some things. I try to stay organized but it doesn't seem to make a big difference when there's too much for one person to do on a daily basis and not enough time for it all. Sigh.

COVID cases are spiking like crazy now, with over 9000 new cases in one day in Florida this week. I'm not going to say I'm surprised.  I'm planning on whipping up some more masks soon because it looks like this is not going away.

 It has been sooo hot this week.
My grass was just starting to look nice from the daily rain and now it's dying off again. I can water twice a day but all of my plants are still droopy by noon. We tried an early morning hike this week but it was miserable so I guess I need a ton of new indoor activities to keep us busy this summer!

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Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës by Isabel Greenberg (Graphic Novel Book Review)

Glass Town:
The Imaginary World of the Brontes

by Isabel Greenberg

Published by Abrams ComicArts
on March 3, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Length: 224 pages
Ages: 14 - 18 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
A graphic novel about the Bronte siblings, and the strange and marvelous imaginary worlds they invented during their childhood.

My Thoughts:

This historical fiction graphic novel begins with the eldest two Bronte sisters' deaths, leaving the remaining four siblings, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne to care for each other. They find solace in creating stories set in a place of words and ink that they named 'Glass Town'. But Branwell's tendency to control the stories created there urges Emily and Anne to break away and create their own fantasy world called 'Gondal'. 

Meanwhile, Charlotte falls farther and farther into the world of 'Glass Town', losing herself to its surreal seduction. 

This was a pretty cool graphic novel, based on the real lives and imaginary creations of the Bronte sisters (and their brother) before they decided to write and publish their novels. There were some obvious parallels from their novels that showed through the characters and places in their childhood stories.

The illustrations are unique in a rough and chaotic sense. I didn't love the disproportionate people and thought it looked almost childish but still appreciated the overall style, coloring, and especially enjoyed the surreal aspects of the illustrated story.

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Summer Green to Autumn Gold by Mia Posada (Children's Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

Summer Green to Autumn Gold:
Uncovering Leaves' Hidden Colors
by Mia Posada
Published by
 Millbrook Press
on August 6, 2019
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Seasons
Length: 32 pages
Ages: 8 - 9 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository


Synopsis:
This nonfiction picture book, written and illustrated by Mia Posada, beautifully explains why leaves change color in fall. It highlights both the eye-catching colors of the season and the science behind the colors.


Our Thoughts:
This nonfiction picture book is fantastic!

Summer Green to Autumn Gold artfully delves into the life cycle of trees and how they get their bold and beautiful colors, weaving science and story to make a fun and educational picture book that is perfect for nature lovers and curious little ones.

There's much to learn about trees and their leaves from this fun book. It shows us a leaf's cells, which are full of chloroplasts that are full of chlorophyll. It shares how leaves get their food and water to grow. And more specifically, it shares how leaves have pigments hiding behind the green chlorophyll that emerge when the seasons change, making this a great seasonal read as well! It also doesn't just stick to basic colors! It shares that the leaves change 'from emerald to jade to every shade in-between' and more!

I absolutely loved the bright and colorful artwork in this book. Each spread is made up of paper collages and cut-outs using paper mache to give the images and close-ups of the leaves lots of texture and depth. I love that each leaf is labeled so you can learn what tree it is from.

There is extra information about different types of leaves, pigments, and more, as well as a glossary and links to hands-on experiments that you can do with leaves and pigments!

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When Emily Was Small by Lauren Soloy (Children's Picture Book Review)

We received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Emily Was Small
by Lauren Soloy
Published by Tundra Books
on May 19, 2020
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 40 pages
Ages: 4 - 8 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
A joyful frolic through the garden helps a little girl feel powerful in this beautiful picture book that celebrates nature, inspired by the writings of revered artist Emily Carr.

When Emily Was Small is at once a celebration of freedom, a playful romp through the garden and a contemplation of the mysteries of nature. 

Our Thoughts:

Emily sets off on an adventure through her father's vegetable beds and under the currant bushes to the wildest parts of the garden, where she clears her mind, listens to the sounds of nature around her, and makes friends with the 'Wild'.

This fun and introspective picture book is inspired by a short story from 'The Book of Small', written by the author/artist Emily Carr, and shares a bit of Emily's wonder-filled childhood.

When Emily Was Small highlights the curiosity, excitement, and imagination of childhood and focuses heavily on the wonder of the world, specifically nature, and how it can make you feel both big and small.

With unique character illustrations and colorful spreads full of flora and fauna, this picture book will delight nature lovers and little adventurers and daydreamers!

There is a short biographical spread at the end of this book talks about Emily Carr and how this book was inspired by her art and literature.
I had no idea who Emily Carr was when we 'picked this up'. We have since researched a bit to check out her paintings, which are beautiful. From what we found out, Carr originally painted and wrote about her Indigenous friends but didn't really win recognition until she started painting landscapes.

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Top Ten Tuesday - Revisiting Past TTT's

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and taken over by That Artsy Girl in 2018. 


Hey bloggers!

Top Ten Tuesday Turns Ten!
(Update or redo a past TTT that you've done in the past
or pick a past option that you didn't get to do.)

I'm going with
Books I've Read That I Would Like In My Personal Library(from August of 2019)

I'm not big on buying full price books unless I know I'm going to love it, or have already read it and loved it enough to reread, which means I borrow a lot of books. I also don't like to reread right away and don't always buy a copy right away so here's what is still sitting on my wishlist!

Do you borrow books before you buy them?

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All Around Bustletown: Summer by Rotraut Susanne Berner (Children's Picture Book Review)

We received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review or mention. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Summer
(All Around Bustletown #3)
by Rotraut Susanne Berner
Published by Prestel Junior
on April 21, 2020
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Seasons
Length: 14 pages
Ages: 2 - 5 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
It's summer and that means flowers, picnics, thunderstorms, and bike rides.
As kids pore over these oversized spreads, they will delight in identifying the same characters on each page as they walk, play, jog, and roller skate--from homes to parks to office buildings and rail stations. In the tradition of Richard Scarry and Where's Waldo, this book encourages kids to return again and again to these charming spreads. All kinds of summer activities come alive in these endearing drawings that provide endless entertainment and spark engaging conversations. 

Our Thoughts:
It's Summertime in Bustletown! 

Everyone is ready for summer in Bustletown! The townsfolk are busy bustling about, going to and fro, having junk sales and meeting friends, attending birthdays at the park, and more!

This is one in a fantastic seasonal board book quartet and is both a look-and-find and a create-a-story with tons of details to keep you busy exploring and conversing about what is going on for hours.

There's so much to do with these books!
They are quite unique with wordless pages filled with people and animals and locations. The very back of the book introduces some of the people and animals within the book and gives you a hint at what they are doing or where they are going so that you can follow them throughout the book. You are free to follow and narrate for any of the characters included and there's plenty of people, places, and little things to notice!

My five year old loves coming back to these books to explore them again and again. Each time, she seems to notice more and more.
I personally love that we can have time-consuming fun with these books but also real-world discussions.  We get to explore the inner workings of a town, the comings and goings of a diverse community, and even how a town can change and expand.
There's no end to the ways you can 'read' books like this!


Check out the rest of this seasonal series:

Spring, Fall, & Winter
 

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The Sunday Post - Wk 25 - Summer Solstice / Father's Day

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

and is a chance to share news, both new and old!

Hey there, bloggers!


Recently finished:

We finished our nightly chapter book read-aloud, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, and I read a graphic novel, Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontes by Isabel Greenberg, because I felt guilty about not finishing anything recently.

Currently Reading:

I'm catching up with my reads from earlier this month but also started Me and White Supremacy, which is a 28-day racism education challenge with journaling prompts to explore privilege, bias, fear, silence, and more.

Recent Reviews:

We read and review Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning by Linda Skeers for Netgalley. We got our reviews for I Am A Warrior Goddess by Jennifer Adams and Most of the Better Natural Things in the World by Dave Eggers up. I also got my review of Deeplight by Frances Hardinge posted. 


What I'm Watching:

We finally finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so we watched both of these for our family movie night!

Off the blog:
It's been a week similar to many others. Some rain, some sun. Some reading,  lots of avoiding social media because it really can get worse. Lots of time with my kiddo. And then forgetting to post on bookstagram. Again. Oops.

We're celebrating the start of a beautiful summer and Father's Day this weekend. We got out on another hike this week which was really nice. We saw deer, turkey, a rabbit, a raccoon, gators, and anhingas (water birds). And plenty of banana spiders, too. It's spider season.

It's also getting crazier with COVID here in Florida.
260 out of 500 employees at the Orlando International Airport tested positive last week. Similar stats are popping up all over. We hit a new record of 4000 new cases in one day on Saturday. With how flippant everyone has been about this, it's not surprising.

I hope all is well with you all.
Happy reading!

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