Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday!
This was a good reading week.
I was house/cat sitting for a friend,
and brought over a ton of books from the library.
I love how I’m in week 6 and I still haven’t figured out how I want to do this.
I agree that all the reviews from GoodReads is too long.
But I want to write a little about each one.
Ranking them was too hard. They’re all published, so they all win!
So thanks for bearing with me while I try to figure it out.
Before we get into books though, check out this video of the Tough Mudder to see what I went through (and yes, there were these REALLY COOL dinosaur sculptures around the course!)
Our camera is getting developed and Singe Singe is readying his blog post!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFRmXFmjYs]Anywho, we read 23 books this week.
Though last week it said 150 and now is says 175, but going over the books I read..
ok, this is just confusing.
Here’s what we read:
Penny Dreadful: Fun! Penny compares her life to characters in books sometimes!
Margritte’s Marvelous Hat: Amazing! There are fun overlays that change the pictures!
Who Hops?: So fun. Love the illustrations too!
Say Hello: A good book about making friends and including others.
Shadow: Fun with a flashlight and an attic full of stuff!
Little Chicken’s Big Day: Great pictures and a fun simple story!
Wave: If you have ever been to the ocean you’ll be able to relate!
Maple Syrup Season: A great story about how maple syrup is made; the whole process! 
Always: A sweet story to reassure kids that you always will love them!
Possum Magic: How to make something visible again? You need to eat the right things!
Rain Makes Applesauce: Silly, Silly, Silly, with good illustrations!
Something to tell the Grandcows: A good adventure of a cow going to the South Pole.
Lulu and the Duck from the Park: Great beginning chapter book for animal lovers!
My Brave Year of Firsts: A good discussion book for children about trying new things.
Dodsworth in Rome: What a great way to introduce Rome to an early reader! Hilarious!
Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same: Very sweet stories of twins and their adventures. 
Giants Beware: A great graphic novel with a CUTE and SASSY heroine!
May B: Another great heroine, this time out on the cold prairie, in verse!
The Watch that Ends the Night: Amazing! Poetry plus Titanic plus drama.
The Bookstore Burglar: Hilarious Early Reader about a cat and some “ghost” helpers!
Hereville: An interesting graphic novel with some great cultural info too.
Peter and the Wolf: A book version of the classic with great sound effects.
Brownie and Pearl Grab a Bite: Cute story for early readers who like fun friends.
What is everyone reading this week?
I have more YA and MG books out from the library than picture books right now,
but wait until Tuesday!
My library is closed on Sunday and Monday,
but I still get emails that books are ready to pick up! What a tease!
The next ones I have out are books by authors and illustrators who are represented by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, since they will be at the conference I’m attending in March.
I spend the last few days researching the agents and seeing who they represent and what they look for so I can have good conversations with them when I meet them.
I was taught to approach a job that way (look up as much info as you can about the job and mention why you think they are a good fit for you and why you are a good fit for the job) and have always heard from my employers that they appreciate the research.
I thought why not do that with this?
Lastly, before I go, just want to share this with you:
Click here to see if your writing needs to go on a diet.
There’s a box where you can enter in up to 500 words and get a diagnosis.
See how often you use “to be” verbs,
“waste words,”
and other things, like adverbs and adjectives.
I used it for my picture book texts, and was happy to find the ones I’ve been working on for a while all registered as “lean” in all categories.
A chapter book I’m working on came up “lean” as well.
A MG novel, which is basically one long letter from one character to another, came up as
“flabby” in many aspects, mostly because I used that, there, its, and this a lot.
It was cool to see how things matched up, and you can download a pdf with instructions on how to “treat” your writing.
Check it out!
Let me know what you’re reading this week or any cool links or tools you come across!
Until next time, we’re enthusiastically yours,
KE and SS
Reading to daughter: pete the cat books, sofia the first, pancakes, pancakes, and mr. Brown can moo. Love your reviews. Only book i have read from your list was margaurites marvelous hat. I agree, very neat overlays. Hope u r doing well
Casi, thanks for sharing!
I LOVE Pete The Cat! I’ve read the school shoes one and I need to read the rest.
Haven’t heard of the other books; I will have to check them out.
Hope you are doing well too!
KE
Thanks for the lovely review! What you’re doing around here is adorable…and a wonderful way to read and write.
Best,
Caroline
Thanks, Caroline!
I really loved May B!
I literally read it all the way through and cheered her on. I grew up on the east coast and I’ve been out in storms and the cold (not as bad as she was) and it took me right back! What are you working on next? Can’t wait to see it in print!
Okay! Now I am caught up!! Great thoughts on researching the books of agents that you will be meeting! Good luck with that!
Writer’s Diet looks pretty cool. Bookmarked!!
This week we are reading lots of Peter Brown — his birthday is coming up Feb. 24!!
Thanks, Eric! I’m having fun looking at these books….one of the agents is Kate Messner’s agent, and, since I ADORE everything she has ever written and probably will ever write, I think I’m good on that one 🙂
Yay Peter Brown! Did you see the video of him reading Creepy Carrots? I think I favorited it on Twitter; I can send it along if you want it. Can’t wait to see what you guys will do for his birthday! He’s GREAT!
Thanks for sending me the video. I was at the National Book Festival, missed his talk, and totally forgot that Library of Congress has them available!! Awesome. Thank you so much!
I agree with Eric, great tactic to research the agents’ books to have intelligent conversations! Thanks for sharing these books.
Thanks, Tina!
I always want to go in prepared.
I think, ” I would want people to be prepared talking to me,” but then wonder where I would go where I would be an expert…maybe a sock monkey making conference ? 🙂