The first book I finished was Junonia by Kevin Henkes.
Returning to the beach cottage--a cottage named Scallop--where she has always celebrated her birthday is a special occasion for Alice Rice.
Who will see the first dolphin this time? The first pelican? What will have changed? Stayed the same? And will this be the year she finally finds a junonia shell?
Alice's friends are all returning, too. And she's certain her parents have the best party planned for her. Alice can't wait. If Alice is lucky, everything will be absolutely perfect. Will Alice be lucky?
Early Sunday morning while the rest of the house was sleeping, I finished The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I'm a big softy when it comes to animals. I can't watch an animal movie without crying, it's actually quite embarrassing. Thankfully nobody was awake to witness my blubbering this time.
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.
Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope
Both of these books are great Read Aloud choices for any family. I hope there's a long wait list for these! As an added bonus, there are quizzes for both books.
Keep Reading!
Mrs. Fellows
*The book reviews were taken from Goodreads.
