#IMWAYR May 14, 2018

#IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

It was a very busy week! I worked for four days and then on Saturday my partner and I went over to Vancouver Island for my niece's 40th birthday celebration. We left the house at 7:30 AM and got home around 11:00 PM. Unfortunately the light from the extended days means I am waking up around 6 every morning whether I need to or not. I'm tired. Then today was a huge event since it was my daughter-in-laws' first Mothers Day! Both of the babies are crawling all over the house and doing their best to walk around the furniture. In one month they will be a year old!

I almost decided not to post and go to bed early instead, but on Thursday I'm heading off for my annual long weekend with some women friends and I won't be posting anything next weekend. I'm not sure I'll even have time for reading.

PICTURE BOOKS

3 stars

My Mom Is a Foreigner, But Not to Me by Julianne Moore

The idea of this book, that mothers are not all the same, is a good one. The problem for me is that it took me a while to figure out that this is not really one person narrating, but one narrator speaking for many. This is confusing.

The best part for the grade one students I read it to, was trying to figure out what picture went with what holiday.

5 stars

Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson & Hudson Talbott (Illustrator)

This book gave me shivers. Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of roots that reach back into the days of slavery. It's a heartbreaking tale that tells of seven year old children being ripped from their mother's arms and sold. It shows the important meanings in the different patterns in patchwork quilts with regards to the underground railroad, and how this knowledge was an integral part of their reality. When the quilts were no longer needed to escape slavery, the women's sewing skills raised money to help their families have better lives. Hudson Talbott's illustrations are stunning.

3 stars

My Mother's Sari by Sandhya Rao, Nina Sabnani (Illustrator)

This is a beautifully illustrated book that tells the reader everything that makes a sari fabulous for children. I liked that the end papers have directions for how to wear one. What distracted me is that I anticipated the story would be from one child's perspective, but the images show different kids interacting with it in different ways. The problem with this kind of portrayal is that as a reader, there isn't one character to connect with.

3 stars

La La La: A Story of Hope by Kate DiCamillo & Jaime Kim (Illustrations)

Jaime Kim's illustrations are what make this book for me. Otherwise, it took me a bit to figure out what was going on. Eventually I understood that this is a book about loneliness and finding a special friend to share your song with.

3 stars

Wee Sister Strange by Holly Grant & K.G. Campbell (Illustrator)

The illustrations really make this book. Otherwise, it was ok. I like the idea of some strange fey creature living in the woods. That what she was seeking was a bedtime story was kind of sad. Unfortunately the rhyming scheme didn't work for me.

3 stars

The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse `by Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen (Illustrations)

I’m not sure if I expected more from this book because of the hype, or if I’m just into too much of a political headspace these days. But this book bothers me. Perhaps it's just too twisted for me.

4 stars

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

The art in this one nearly made me swoon. I read this to groups of grade 3/4 students this week and am happy that the only thing that made a few of the boys uncomfortable was seeing Julián in his underwear. We have come a very long way since I first started teaching.

5 stars

Feathers by Phil Cummings & Phil Lesnie (Illustrator)

This book just gobsmacked me. I didn't plan on picking up more than one book while at the book store, but I fell deeply madly in love with this.

It is visually and lyrically stunning. It begins with a sandpiper taking off from the beach. Its journey takes it across the earth where it flies over all kinds of horrific scenes. 

Along the way it looses a few feathers that bring comfort to those who find them. Eventually the bird arrives at its winter nesting grounds, thankful to be safe.

NOVELS

3 stars

The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd & Júlia Sardà (Illustrator)

In many ways this book was delightful. The writing is beautiful and filled with numerous important truths about what it means to be human. There is a collection of interesting characters in the children and their adversaries. In spite of the littlest Problim’s communicating through farts, I liked it a lot. It was when I realized that it wasn’t going to end with a satisfying conclusion that I became upset. I hate it when the main problem, in this case the uncovering of the family treasure, isn’t resolved by the end of the book! Grrr.

NON FICTION

4 stars

What Would She Do?: 25 True Stories of Trailblazing Rebel Women: by Kay Woodward, & Various Illustrators

This book looks at a number of important women from across time and space. Its layout is interesting because of how the information on each woman is formatted.  On the first page is an image with a large print paragraph of basic information. The next page provides more in detail in much smaller font. Each section includes a question and answer component that links possible present day concerns with what the individual woman might do in the same situation. Each section ends with a quote from that individual. 

The art, created by numerous illustrators is brilliant. My only quibble with the book is that the small font is a grey colour and was difficult to read.

CURRENTLY

I just couldn't read Scythe while listening to We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates. An imaginary dystopian world just doesn't cut it when reading about the real life dystopian existence that so many people continue to live through. I read the end of Scythe just so I could let go of it. I've just started The Oceans Between Stars by Kevin Emerson.

UP NEXT

I'll start listening to Braiding Sweet Grass by Robin Wall Kimmerer next. My next two novels will Granted by David Anderson and Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S. King

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 14/25

#MustReadNFIn2018 4/12 1 in progress

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 7/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge 170/333