Little Black Crow by Chris Raschka. I must confess that when I see Chris Raschka's name on a book, it immediately gets my attention. There is somethings incredibly powerful about his style of writing. Is is his great use of repeating lines? or is it the voice that surfaces in his books? or could it be his unique style of drawing?? or a combination of all? May be that's what it is. 
Little Black Crow invites and encourages to question, to wonder, to be curious. In a story that contains 27 questions, what would this little Crow find in his way? who would he meet? what is he afraid of? who does he love? where would he sleeps? What a wonderful new addition to any library....a book that encourages questions, questions and more questions!!!
Another great finding, another great companion for your Writing Workshop unit on Writing Small Moments. Orlando on a Thursday by Emma Magenta is about a a boy who loves spending time with his mom. They do so many things together like having snacks, going for a walk. The exception is Thursdays because on Thursdays Orlando's mom is super busy running errands all day long. Even though Orlando does not like to spend time away from mom, Dad reminds Orlando about all the great, super super things that can happen on a Thursday like....eating pancakes for lunch, taking super fun baths, reading stories together. They way the author Emma Magenta weaves the story is so beautifully done because she zooms in the life on Orlando on one particular day and balances beautiful the feelings of missing mom but enjoying dad at the same time.
Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw is also another great addition to any library. Lola loves stories so much, so much that with each story she reads, she immerses herself in the story line, in the characters, in the setting. By playing pretending games, and dressing up, Lola gets to live the stories from the books she reads. A great celebration of what book offer the readers, an opportunity to escape and explore!!
What's the Big Idea, Molly? Written by Valeri Gorbachev. In this story, you get to meet Molly who loves to write and puts all her thoughts on papers. But Turtle's b-day is coming soon and she can't think of an original story or poem to write. Molly and her friends all think very hard to come up with an original gift but what would they do when all of them show up with the same idea? Read to find out how a group of friends search for inspiration and come up with clever solutions to a common problem.What other great books would this season bring? I can't wait to discover more. Enjoy the journey.
