It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA (33)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen & Kellee from Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

I had a crazy reading week. I read just over 60 books.  After taking a break from intentionally seeking out Caldecott Honor books (I finished the Winners earlier this year), I jumped back in with a huge stack.  I read 34 Caldecott Honor Books in my quest to read every Caldecott Winner and Honor Book this year.  Though I really enjoyed many of these books (most were from 1990 to the present), I am only going to highlight a few of them.

Here are some of my favorite Caldecott Honor Books from the past week's stack:

The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt; Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi - The illustrations in this were truly wonderful.  I loved DiTerlizzi's choice of a 1920's/1930's film style for this.

The Stinky Cheese Man: And Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Sciezska; Illustrated by Lane Smith - Laugh out loud funny - If you haven't read this one, and enjoy fairy tales, you must read it.

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís - This is an amazing and powerful story of Sís's life. 

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman; Illustrated by Pamela Zargarenski - Joyce Sidman's poetry has been illustrated by some amazing artists.  If I have counted right, her books have received 3 Caldecott Honors. 

Here are some other books that I was reading this past week:

Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly by Walter Dean Myers; Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins - This is an older picture book that I came across at the library.  A solid picture book biography of Malcolm X.

A Meal of Stars: Poems Up and Down by Dan Jensen; Illustrated by Tricia Tusa - This small book of poems demonstrate the fun you can have in writing poems from top to bottom and from bottom to top. 

What You Know First by Patricia MacLachlan; Illustrated by Barry Moser - I read this after seeing it on Katherine Sokolowski's Nerdy Book Club post.

The Secret Chicken Society by Judy Cox - What happens when you end up with 5 baby chicks and one turns out to be a rooster?  Let the fun begin.  An early chapter book for 2nd and 3rd graders.

Small Medium at Large by Joanne Levy - I love the title of this book and it was definitely a fun read. Lilah discovers that after being struck by lightning she can hear ghosts.  What is she going to do especially when her grandmother wants her to help her divorced dad?  This will be easy to book talk with Middle Grade girls. 

From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer, Valerie Thomas - A fun summertime read that has the feel of a John Hughes' movie.

Silverfin (Graphic Novel) by Charlie Higson- This graphic novel tells the story of Bond, James Bond before he was a Secret Agent. 

So what are you reading this week?