#IMWAYR June 18, 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.

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