At the beginning of the year I try to commit to a book challenge or two, but I have a tendency to forget about them come March.  I decided to create my own book challenge for 2018 so I can be held accountable.  I will be posting my picks on Instagram using #SewBookishReads18.  If you decide to join in on the fun, be sure to tag your book pics on Instagram so I can see your book choices!

I love getting the Year in Books e-mail from Goodreads.  There is something gratifying about looking at all of my reading stats for the year.  Out of the 234 books that I read this year, here are 15 of my favorites:

My library put together a really fun magical celebration back in July.  I was lucky to be selected to be part of the planning committee and had the opportunity to head up the children's crafts sub committee.  I did a great deal of research on Pinterest looking for children's crafts that would appeal to tiny and big muggles and wizards.  Inspiration struck when I saw an owl pumpkin decorated like my favorite wizard's companion.  I knew I had to create some sort of paper owl craft for our magical celebration! 

I love that 2017 has been the year of the unicorn.  Throughout the years, unicorns have always been my favorite mythical creature. Needless to say, I am thrilled that there are so many great unicorn picture books out there in the world.  

I had a blast putting together this storytime.  I would love to hear what books, songs, or flannels you have used if you have done your own unicorn storytime! 

This song was a spur of the moment creation that I wrote down and saved for the day that I planned for a unicorn storytime!  This song is great with a unicorn puppet!  

There's a Unicorn on Your Head!
to the tune of: If You're Happy & You Know It

There's a unicorn on your head on your head.
There's a unicorn on your head on your head.
There's a unicorn on your head,
there's a unicorn on your head.
There's a unicorn on your head on your head!

There's a unicorn on your shoe on your shoe.
There's a unicorn on your shoe on your shoe.
Whatcha gonna do?
There's a unicorn on your shoe.
There's a unicorn on your shoe on your shoe!

There's a unicorn on your ear on your ear.
There's a unicorn on your ear on your ear.
It's really hard to head,
when there's a unicorn on your ear.
There's a unicorn on your ear on your ear!

There's a unicorn on your nose on your nose.
There's a unicorn on your nose on your nose.
Oh goodness knows,
there's a unicorn on your nose.
There's a unicorn on your nose on your nose!

There's a unicorn on your hand on your hand.
There's a unicorn on your hand on your hand.
Isn't it real grand,
when there's a unicorn on your hand?
There's a unicorn on your hand on your hand.

These are the songs that we listened or danced to in storytime.  If you are interested in checking out these songs, there are links to Amazon where you can listen to a sample and purchase these great songs!

I started doing a "pre-storytime" activity to incorporate Every Child Ready to Read skills and a little pre-storytime fun. This activity is self-guided and gives caregivers and their kiddos something fun to do while they wait for storytime to begin. For this storytime, I projected a really cute unicorn themed I-Spy page from from And Next Comes L Blog.  Caregivers and kiddos enjoyed looking for the different unicorns!

​The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez
Review by Nicole Lawton
 
Pérez, Celia C. The First Rule of Punk. Viking Books for Young Readers, August 2017.  336 pages.  Tr. $16.99, ISBN 0425290409.
 
Billie Jean Armstrong once said, “punk is about doing things your own way.”  For 12-year-old María Luisa “Malú” O’Neill-Morales, trying to find her own way can be difficult.  Is she Punk enough?  Is she Mexican enough?  Is she señorita enough?
 
Malú loves her home in Florida, punk music, hanging out with her dad, and making collage artwork called Zines.  Her life is suddenly turned upside-down when her mother accepts a teaching position at a university in Chicago.  As she wades through the challenges of being the new girl at Posada Middle School, Malú finds her voice and learns to thrive in an unfamiliar environment.
 
This realistic fiction novel would be perfect for 4th through 6th Grade readers.  Malú grapples with the strained relationship she shares with her mother and must dance through the daily drama of making friends in middle school.  Mexican American readers will see themselves reflected in Malú while aspiring punk rock musicians will love learning about new artists to add to their repertoire.  Readers who enjoy Dork Diaries or Roller Girl will lose themselves in First Rule of Punk.  The storyline is real, funny, and engaging, the adult and child relationships are thoughtful and realistic, and the author cleverly weaves Malú ’s struggles to tie her Punk and Mexican sides together throughout the book.  Readers will also enjoy poring over Malú’s fun, inspiring, and unique artwork.
 
My verdict: If this book came out in 1998, I would have read it until the spine fell apart.  I can only imagine what it would have been like to finally find a book character that understood exactly what I was going though.  I know that First Rule of Punk would have had a profound impact on me.  I am beyond thrilled that this book exists in the world.