#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.
I must first apologize for not getting to
everyone's posts last week. It was an intense week. Between finishing sewing
projects, working, and preparing for a big party on Saturday, and then the
Father's day stuff on Sunday, I am done in!
I didn't get much reading accomplished. Thank goodness for audiobooks which I listened to while sewing, and for
picture books that don't require a focus for long duration.
Here are the sewing projects I finished:
First off, these are some coasters that I
finished for my sister whose birthday was on the day of our celebration for the
babies. The hardest part of this project was the fussy cutting.
Here are the matching shirts I finished
for my daughter in law and grandson for her birthday which was last weekend. I forgot to take a picture of them wearing them.
Finally, these are the matching overalls I
made for my grandchildren. Unfortunately, my iphone doesn't do camera colours
well as these are more teal than blue.
Now that it is all over, I hardly know what to do with myself. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is a garden to weed.
KOREAN PICTURE BOOKS
I know I've shared a few of the books that
we received from Korea, but I've been meaning to share a few more of them and
today seems like the perfect time. (None of the ISBN numbers register in Goodreads) All of these books have an interactive
quality that I once thought was adorable, but when the baby learns how to press
buttons, and loves having music of any kind on in the background, it can get to
be irritating. Luckily, most of these books have on/off switches and she hasn't
figured out how to work them yet.
This first book has to do with using the
toilet. If you turn the handle, you hear the sound of a toilet flushing. The
little pink button makes a fart noise, and the blue button sounds like someone
peeing. The yellow and brown button produces a song that my daughter in law
tells me is all about having accomplished a happy, pretty poo.
The inside pages show animals and people
using the facilities. Our little ones are not yet big enough to
start being toilet trained, but I think this book is ingenious and sure wish we
had something like this when my boys were young.
This book is very appropriate since
it is all about celebrating a birthday. The buttons on this one turn on the
candles, make all kinds of celebratory noises, play music and sing songs in
both Korean and English. The little pink cake button on the bottom left hand
corner turns the power on. Ada has learned how to use it. Thankfully they are
not all this easy.
These candles glow red in real life, but my iphone doesn't do colours well. The most fascinating thing about this book is that once you have pressed
the button so that the candle light goes on, all you have to do is blow on them
and they go out. Ada is able to take those little candles out and put them back
in.
I used to worry that these interactive features would interfere with my granddaughter's love for regular books, but I've let go of that. She now climbs up on my lap with books she wants me to read with her.
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
Ho-limlim: a Rabbit Tale from Japan by
Keizaburō Tejima
I wrote about three of Keizaburō Tejima's
books last week and I picked this one up from my library since then. I adore the
illustrations just as much. This Japanese folk tale is an
interesting story of an older rabbit who sets out to go on adventure. On the
surface it's a story of how his eyesight doesn't see things as well as he used
to, but it's also a metaphor for how what we think we see isn't necessarily
what is really going on. Now I just need to track down a copy of Owl Lake and
Bear's Autumn.
 |
| 3 1/2 stars |
Shh! My Brother's Napping by Ruth Ohi
Charming illustrations are accompanied by
rhyming text that works. The humour of the text is filled in with art and
sometimes missing words that because of the pattern and rhyme, are easy to predict. There is a lot of love shown in this relationship
between the young girl and her sleeping brother. The surprise ending is
delightful.
NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
Not So Different: What You Really Want to
Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw & Matt Carr
(Photographer)
I liked this, but then, I am biased. My
father was injured at work when he was 25, and used a wheelchair to get around after
that. He too was comfortable with people asking him questions. Like Shane,
there was much he could do in his chair, not the least was being an awesome
dad!
I knew a tiny bit about SMA before, and
learned more from reading this. I like that these photographs are loaded with
humour and that we get to know the person behind the wheelchair.
I want to read this book with a group of
children to see how they respond. I sure wish it had been around when I was
younger.
NOVELS
 |
| 5 stars |
Ravensong by Lee Maracle
This book is the prequel to Celia's Song,
a book I read earlier this year. This was set in 1954, whereas Celia's Song is
set in more recent times. It was interesting in that many events that happened
in this book were referenced in that one. The story is told from the
perspective of Celia's older sister, Stacey who is attending her last year of
white high school across the bridge from their village. She plans to go to UBC
and become a teacher after graduation.
Like in Celia's Song, Maracle makes us
aware of the differences between her people's way of seeing the world and our
own. Both are important books that I can't recommend highly enough. I'm looking
forward to our bookclub meeting to talk about it.
My brilliant niece, Casey the Canadian
Lesbrarian, has written an in depth post about this book here:
https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.com/2012/11/25/a-review-of-lee-maracles-ravensong-queering-decolonization-decolonizing-queerness/
 |
| 5 stars |
The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall & Susan Denaker (Narrator)
I adore the Penderwick family. Each
book is like a visit with a family of old friends where I get to watch their
children grow up. This book is told from the perspective of the youngest of the
clan, Lydia, when the family returns to Arundel for Rosalind's wedding. This is
as delightful as the rest of the series. I am heartbroken that this is the
finale.
CURRENTLY
I'm listening to Granted by John David
Anderson. Cassandra Morris' narration is delightful and the book is turning out
to be much more than I first anticipated it would be. I have made a bit of
headway with Restart by Gordon Korman and plan to complete it in the next
couple of days!
UP NEXT
I have a mess of picture books checked out
from the library that I intend to finish and return this week or else!
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2018 15/25 1 in progress
#MustReadNFIn2018 5/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors
8/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge 203/333
