It's
Monday and looks to be another one of those crazy end of the school year kind of
weeks. I'm happy to be here with all of you sharing and celebrating reading. Thank
you so much Jen at Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers for
hosting #IMWAYR. My reading life is much richer because of you.
I
haven't accomplished as much reading in the past week as I usually do. There
are all kinds of reasons for this.
Part
of it is that I've been grieving. Grieving for my mother and a cousin who just died. Grieving all those aspects of teaching I'm
Part
of it is also that I've just been really busy. Busy with a huge book club celebration last Wednesday. Busy with trying to finish up and publish stories written by the six and seven year olds I've been working with this year. It's taken
much more time than I anticipated to get those finished. Now I'm having
difficulty getting them published to the school website since some of the
documents are too large. It's a huge rigmarole as I work to get them connected
to my site here.
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 5 stars |
I've read this book a couple of times now, and
it just gets better with each reread. There is more time to relish the gorgeous
illustrations and to get lost in the minute detail. There's more time
savor all the nuances and layers of meaning in the text.
A New Friend for Marmalade by Alison Reynolds & Heath McKenzie (Illustrations)
There is a lot I really liked about this book, but there are some things that
are unsettling as well. I love McKenzie's illustrations and if it were not for
some gendered issues, I might well love it.
Here are my problems with this book.
First, the two girls want nothing to do with a boy whose activities interrupt their play. We don't know the background behind their relationship, but the boy comes across as a bit of an out of control buffoon at first.
Second, when Marmalade the cat gets into trouble, the girls try different things to save her, but it takes the boy to come up with a solution.
Third, when the children finally start to play together, they have all adopted the manner of play of the boy.
A New Friend for Marmalade by Alison Reynolds & Heath McKenzie (Illustrations)
 |
| 3 stars |
Here are my problems with this book.
First, the two girls want nothing to do with a boy whose activities interrupt their play. We don't know the background behind their relationship, but the boy comes across as a bit of an out of control buffoon at first.
Second, when Marmalade the cat gets into trouble, the girls try different things to save her, but it takes the boy to come up with a solution.
Third, when the children finally start to play together, they have all adopted the manner of play of the boy.
I think this book is trying to make a statement
about being more accepting towards others who are different, and I appreciate
that. It's just that these gender issues distress me.
The Angry Little Puffin by Timothy Young
What a fun way to learn! A lone puffin is very aggravated that people continuously mistake him for a penguin. So he sets out to teach us the difference. I discovered all kinds of things about puffins in this book. Probably my favorite page is the one explaining that they are polar opposites, but there are many others that I adore. While this one is loaded with information, it isn't strictly nonfiction as it is told from the point of view of the puffin.
INFORMATION
 |
| 5 stars |
What a fun way to learn! A lone puffin is very aggravated that people continuously mistake him for a penguin. So he sets out to teach us the difference. I discovered all kinds of things about puffins in this book. Probably my favorite page is the one explaining that they are polar opposites, but there are many others that I adore. While this one is loaded with information, it isn't strictly nonfiction as it is told from the point of view of the puffin.
NOVELS
These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
 |
| 4 stars |
I was captivated by Jo Montfort from the start. She is a strong character with big dreams at a time when women of her class were expected to be proper naive young women and marry well. Jo is naive, but she is also headstrong and stubborn. I was completely gripped by the last part of the story as well when her father's murderer is revealed and Jo barely escapes with her life. My problem is that the middle lagged for me in places. I figured out who murdered her father somewhere in the middle and it took too long to get to the final reveal.
Throughout I really appreciated the historical details that combine to create a portrait of New York City and life in America in the 1890s for women.
CURRENTLY
I'm listening to The Unlikely Hero of Room
13B by Teresa Toten narrated by Johnathon McClain. I'm reading I'll Be
There by Holly Goldberg Sloan and a netgalley title, Gertie's Leap to
Greatness by Kate Beasley & Jillian Tamaki (Illustrator) I
am loving all of them!
UP NEXT
I'm hoping to read more of the new picture books
that have been arriving. Then I have to get to The Boy Who Knew Everything by
Victoria Foster and Feathered by Deborah Kerbel.
I adored The Little Gardener, the illustrations are so lush and gorgeous, and the text is stunning.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it spectacular!
DeleteI am having trouble fitting in reading this time of year, as well. The Little Gardener is sweet. I love it's message of persistence.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I also love that his work inspires others. Together they create a kind of paradise.
DeleteI am having trouble fitting in reading this time of year, as well. The Little Gardener is sweet. I love it's message of persistence.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Little Gardener and The Angry Puffin! Both are great choices to lift your spirits a bit. Hope things go better for you this week.
ReplyDeleteI like to think I grieving well, which means just letting it happen. I think it's all mostly good because of this.
DeleteI have Gertie's Leap to Greatness on my list. Need to line up some more books to read! If you're interested in the 48 Hour Book Challenge for next year, let me know! http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2016/06/sic-transit-gloria-mundi-48-hour-book.html
ReplyDeleteI'm in when you get the 48 hour challenge up and running!
DeleteI hope your grief lessens and your workload lightens sooner rather than later. I love The Little Gardener. It's a nice reminder of the goodness in the world as well as in people.
ReplyDeleteGrief comes and goes. That is it exactly about The Little Gardener!
DeleteThese Shallow Graves sounds like the perfect summer read. Thanks for sharing these titles today.
ReplyDeleteIt would be Tara. I might have enjoyed it more if I wasn't so easily distracted these days.
DeleteThese Shallow Graves sounds like the perfect summer read. Thanks for sharing these titles today.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about getting The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B on audio! I am so glad to hear that you are enjoying it! I can't wait to hear the full report!
ReplyDeleteGlad you were still able to come by and share your reading! Sometimes you just need to go one minute at a time!
ReplyDeleteexactly - one baby step at a time!
DeleteHi there Cheriee, glad that you pointed out those issues about the Marmalade book - always good to have ongoing conversations about the themes that are subtly interwoven into children's books. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Myra, it's these subtle themes that in this case, send the message about what gender is best.
Delete