#IMWAYR February 24, 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 am slowly recovering from the plague that kicked me to the curb and nearly knocked me out. Hopefully I'm done with oral steroids, for which I shall be eternally grateful.

I've been working in a school library for the last few weeks and am looking forward to continuing until Spring Break. To acknowledge Black History Month, I have been creating a display with books written by black authors and black characters. While students of all ages spend time looking at the picture books, I've been especially pleased to see older students, even if they don't check them out, reading them. I also started collecting a few books for Pink Day this coming week. I should have written a blog post about these books but had no energy or time.

Although I talked about this book last Monday, I must to give another shout out to Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock & Katherine Roy. Last week I read it to groups of students from grades two to seven. All of them were enthralled, but I think the older students were more engaged than the younger ones.

In my non-reading life, my daughter-in-law and I have planned and cut out fabric for a quilt to make for her newest nephew in Korea. I've managed to almost finish a baby sweater to send to him. I just need to get some buttons to sew on. I've machine stitched the binding on two other quilts and am in the process of hand stitching those. I've started planning my next project, a quilt for my other son and his partner. I'll post photo's next week when they are finished.

Clicking on the title of the book will take you to the Goodreads page if you want to add it to your list. 

PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

I have heard people talk about Pink and Say, but finally got around to reading it.
It is a profound story about friendship and courage against the backdrop of the Civil War. (How can a war be called civil?)
I was even more impressed to discover that the book is based on a true story.

4 stars

This beautifully illustrated book shows one black child and one white child pondering philosophical questions of why we are who we are, and what makes us this way. It’s their coming together at the end that makes the book for me.

4 stars

I reread this book while searching for books appropriate for pink day. This one, that looks at the the consequences of bullying and articulates a possible solution, is perfect.
Susan Hughes and Carey Sookocheff are both Canadian talent!

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

This book highlights some of the freedoms that are articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each brilliantly illustrated page interprets one of these freedoms along with a quote. World renowned authors and Illustrators are showcased on each double page spread. A section in the back matter provides a bit of additional information about each one of them. It also contains information about Amnesty International and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The book begins with a forward by Michael Morpurgo.

GRAPHIC

4 stars

This was hilarious. AJ and his friends are just starting grade six. He's sure that this year will be different until school actually starts and everything seems to be the same as before. His two best friends, Hunter and Ivy, are always competing over something. AJ has a hard core crush on Nia, the smartest girl in the school. She doesn't seem to know he exists. Things look up when their cool new teacher from England pairs them up on a research project. Because Nia is obsessed with vampires, AJ begins to take on the persona of one. This nearly ends in disaster as the real vampire in their midst makes nefarious plans.
Whitney Gardner is an author illustrator from Victoria, BC, in Canada. 


Maybe I wasn't quite as wowed by this one as I was by The Witch Boy, (which won the Cybil) but I still enjoyed it a lot. It might even be a contender next year. Charlie befriends a new girl at school, Ariel. After years of abandonment and bullying, Ariel is full of anger and distrust. Following a miscommunication, she puts a curse on Charlie, who then goes to Aster for help. I love how this series is full of magic and adventure, but at the same time, addresses issues in the real world.

NOVELS


Lucy Wu is a character I'll be carrying around with me for a while. She's authentic, complicated, and full of heart.
Grade six is supposed to be her best year ever. She is looking forward to getting her room to herself now that her sister is heading off to college. Then she learns that her grandmother, Po Po, had a younger sister, Li Po, who is coming for an extended stay with them. Lucy has to share her room with her. To make matters worse, instead of focusing on basketball, her passion, Lucy is forced to go to Chinese school. Adding to her troubles, she ends up getting bullied by Sloane, a girl at school.
Of course it all ends up fine in the end with Lucy learning a lot, making new friends, and becoming a better person.
I loved Lucy's family and friends and readers will too. My only wish is that Sloane's character was more developed.

As an aside, I got this book mixed up with another by Wendy Wan-Long Shang, The Way Home Looks Now, that is on my MustRead List this year. But it's all good because now I am looking forward to reading that one even more!


I loved this book about Else, a precocious, almost eight year old and her obstreperous grandmother. Their relationship plays out within the synthesis of an allegorical fairytale tale world, the Land-of-Almost-Awake, and their practical day to day reality. What holds it all together is unyielding love.
They live in a house full of flats. When the grandmother dies, Else discovers that the stories of the Land-of-Almost-Awake are connected to the other tenants in the building.
The book is about love and loss. "The mightiest power of death is not that it can make people die, but that it can make the people left behind want to stop living. It's also bout making mistakes and acknowledging them. Maybe seven year olds do deserve super heroes, but that doesn't mean super heroes have to be perfect. They are good enough just by being honestly who they are.

NONFICTION


Alex Colville is a world renowned Canadian Painter. I discovered his art through Horse and Train while still in high school. Horse and Train, which was used as an album cover by Bruce Cockburn in 1973, remains one of his iconic works, although apparently, Pacific, a painting of a man and a gun, sells most reproductions. Both exemplify the tension that is a hallmark of his work. 



While I was still working full time I went in search of a children's book to introduce my elementary students to his work. I found nothing then and can find nothing now. I'm still searching and might have to write one myself. In the mean time, I'm learning as much as I can about him.

The book is composed of photographs, reproductions, text and even a graphic novel component at the end. It was written to accompany an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. I appreciated learning how societal factors outside his quiet community influenced his work. It was also fascinating to see how his work has influenced other artists from different mediums. Although I already knew how meticulous and mathematical Colville was, I was surprised at how many studies he completed before finally finishing a painting.

The writing is nearly as stunning as the paintings themselves. There are two forwards, one by Matthhew Teitelbaun and the other by Marc Mayer. Andrew Hunter writes an introduction before the main body of the text. I found that Marc Mayer captured the essence of Colville's art with these words,
"Although his scenes were intimate, his subjects familiar, they did not necessarily offer comfort... In his unforgettably hypnotic paintings, Coville constantly questions whether we can ever know others, let alone ourselves. He reveals the false security that is often bred by familiarity."
Next I'm planning on rewatching the NFB production, Alex Colville: The Splendour of Order.
Everyone connected with this book is Canadian.

CURRENTLY

I'm still listening to There There by Tommy Orange and am searching all over for my copy of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasiy. I need to it have finished by next Monday!

UP NEXT

I'm still craving middle grade novels. Luckily, The Way Home Looks Now is in transit for me to pick up at my local library. I have Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny ready to listen to next (maybe). Depending on how much time I have, I'll start The Lies that Bind: Rethinking Identity by Kwame Anthony Appiah.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 4/25

#MustReadNFIn2018 4/12

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 5/25

25 books by Canadian Authors 16/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge 71/333


#IMWAYR February18, 2019


#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's been a long hard month or so. I was sick with a cold. I thought I was getting better so I went away for a few days and got sicker. I came home, went to work, and it got worse. Eventually I dragged myself into the doctors and left with a list of assorted miracles of modern medicine to deal with a secondary respiratory tract infection. I am very thankful for our Canadian healthcare system and my union negotiated extended health benefits. It cost me nothing.

I think the following lists are what I have been reading in the past while. I was hardly capable of reading anything, never mind always recording it. I couldn't concentrate because of my illness, and now I can't concentrate because of the stupid prednisone that leaves me feeling like I have ADHD. (They also make me very irritable) I know I am now on the mend though because I was able to catch up on my picture book reading on Sunday, and that evening, as the drugs wore off, was actually able to read some of my novel.

Aside from all that, I am happy to proclaim that we managed to find a bit of winter here. It was beautiful, but I was in no condition to go out and take any pictures.

READERS

5 stars

Entertaining, engaging, quality literature for beginning readers isn't easy to find. This is definitely one of them. Make sure to get it for your school or classroom library.
It has patterned language, humour, a message of accepting who you are, and a surprise ending! In dressing up and becoming the tiger that he so admired, Fox reminded me of those days when my own children and their friends became lions, dinosaurs, and super heroes. I'm looking forward to test driving this one with groups of kindergarten and grade ones this week.

Corey R Tabors whimsical illustrations are full of heart. I can't wait to read more of his Fox stories.

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

I love the message in this brightly illustrated picture book. Thank you Oge Mora for showing us the power and importance of sharing what we have.

4 stars

This brilliant book captures the perspective of two children at Great Uncle Frank's funeral. The book highlights the cycle of life. At the same time as adults are grieving the end of life, these two cousins are finding life and joy in the world around them.
I agree with Norma that Uncle Frank would have liked his funeral.

4 stars

I adore the illustrations in the book about two diverse acquaintances who spend time together walking through a winter wonderland. Even though Bear and Wolf eventually go their own way, this message of acceptance and communion by two different species has much to teach us humans about getting along with one another and the rest of the world.

3 1/2 stars

Mine. Yours. by Marsha Diane Arnold & Qin Leng (Illustrations)

I read this through Netgalley and will write more about it just before it's publication in April. It's a thoughtful, almost wordless book that looks at ownership and sharing. I picked it to read because Qin Leng is the illustrator. I'm proud to claim that she is a fellow Canadian.

4 stars

I read this beautifully illustrated book to groups of kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2 for Valentine's week. It's one of those books that brings a smile to your face and leaves you sighing with contentment. I prefaced the book by asking the children to think about how we show that we love someone and how others show that they love us. Then we read the book and they told me what they thought the book missed. The only answer that wasn't already there was 'give hugs.' (It's there, but not in those words)

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

None of the filmmakers I know had ever heard of Alice Guy-Blaché before I showed them this book and asked them about her. These are people who know about the history of film. It breaks my heart a little bit, but also makes me so happy that this book is here.

Alice Guy-Blaché was not only the first female filmmaker, she was also one of the first people to create movies that told a story. What you learn as you read the book, and particularly in the back matter, is that in early films, women had many roles and jobs. Women were presented as adventurous, daring heroes. It isn't until the industry grew and men dominated it that women became damsels in distress.

3 1/2 stars

Some of these poetic vignettes are factual and others are historical fiction. It's obvious that substantial research underpins all of it. Each part tells the story of some hand made artifact. I think that those of us who still engage in making things by hand are connected across time and space to all these other artisans. I sometimes longed for more details here, but see that this book might be a springboard to a deeper investigation into one of these arts.

5 stars

Children are braver, stronger, and much smarter than adults give them credit for. This is a book that unpacks racism and puts the onus on white people to do what they can to stop it. It's our problem too.
This picture book belongs in every school library for every age group.


5 stars

What a fascinating story! From endpaper to endpaper this book is a visual delight. It's the perfect accompaniment to Barb Rosenstock's lyrical text about the first people to travel deep into the ocean just to explore its depths. I had never heard of Otis Barton or Will Beebe prior to reading this. I'm certain students will be at least as engaged as I was.
I enjoyed the additional information in the back matter. Barb Rosenstock answered many of the questions I had while reading the book. I especially appreciated reading about Katherine Roy's artistic process for creating the illustrations. I wish this kind of information was available in all picture books!

NOVELS

4 stars

As much as I enjoyed this recent instalment in the adventures of Peter Grant, I really missed listening to it as an audiobook. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's voice is the voice of Peter Grant. He is what makes these novels jump out for me. I am as much in love with him as I am with the stories themselves. If you haven't read any of them so far, I encourage you to start with Rivers of London, the first in the series. Peter Grant is a young police officer and Wizard in training in London, England. The stories are populated with all kinds of ghosts and mythological beings. They are funny and sexy - the perfect antidote to the troubles of the real world, all the while poking fun at it.

4 stars

This is the story of a young man who was taken from his home and family during the 'sixties scoop.' It is estimated that between the 1950's through to the 1980's, at least 20,000 indigenous Canadian children were removed from their families and either put in white foster homes or given up for adoption to white middle class families.
Garnet Raven was only three when he was taken from his home on an Ojibway Indian reserve. He spent time in numerous foster homes before ending up living on the streets. Eventually he ended up in prison. It was there that his lost family contacted him. Upon his release he returned to the reserve and with the help of an elder, Keeper, began to understand his identity as Anishinabe.
The book is poignant, spiritual, and at times, screamingly hilarious.
Richard Wagamese is an Indigenous Canadian. This is his first novel published novel. 
4 stars
Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech & Kirby Heyborne Narrator 

This is a heartwarming middle grade novel about Louie, a young boy who, against the odds, rescues and raises a newborn donkey. There are some remarkable characters here in this book that examines how different people deal with death and loss.

GRAPHIC

4 stars
Zenobia by Morten Dürr & Lars Horneman (Illustrations)

This is a dark, hard, look at what it means to be a refugee. It's not an easy read and the ending will tear your heart apart a bit.

 CURRENTLY

I'm listening to There There by Tommy Orange. I'm reading My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologises by Frederik Backman. I made no progress on Colville by Andrew Hunter, one of my MustRead nonfiction titles.

UP NEXT

I need to start reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi for my book club get together in a couple of weeks. Cold Skies by Thomas King, is next on my list but I am desperate to binge on some really good middle grade fiction. There are also a few graphic novels in a pile here somewhere. I have Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny ready to listen to next.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 3/25 1 in progress

#MustReadNFIn2018 3/12 1 in progress

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 3/25

25 books by Canadian Authors 13/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge 62/333