#IMWAYR March 11, 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.

Today I'm sharing two weeks of reading. I didn't manage to post last weekend because we were celebrating my son's birthday as well as having out of town guests. 

I'm still not recovered from whatever illness has me in it's grip. I'm on my second batch of antibiotics and my brain just doesn't have the capacity for complicated texts, so this post is mostly picture books. I've probably read more than these as I set up displays for Black History Month and International Women's Day, but I didn't keep track. 

I forgot to take pictures of the quilts I finished, but here is the sweater I sent off to Korea last week. 

While watching the Netflix series, Black Earth Rising, with my partner, I've completed a set of podster gloves and am now working on some socks. I'm also working on another baby quilt! Thank goodness for audiobooks!

Last week, in honour of International Women's Day on Friday, I read Lights! Camera! Alice! with groups of students grade 2 on up. I had some boys who didn't understand why there was a day for women and not one for men. The book helps to make why it's necessary. I read The Last Castle with younger groups.

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

READERS

4 stars

Fox Is Late by Corey R. Tabor

I’m absolutely charmed by this series. It’s perfect for fans of Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggy and other new readers. The text is simple and repetitive with hilarious illustrations that are integral to the story.

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Fox and the Jumping Contest by Corey R.Tabor

I read Corey R. Tabor’s I can read Fox books before I got to this, his first book. When fans of his more recent Fox titles are more competent readers, they will probably enjoy these other adventures. It would be interesting to read this to a group of children and see what they think of how fox tricked his way into sharing first place in a jumping contest.

4 stars

Fox and the Bike Ride by Corey R. Tabor

Fox is quite the character! In this tale he surprises his friends with more action, adventure and danger than they expected from their annual bike ride.

4 stars

Run Wild by David Covell

Like the author, I was lucky enough to leave the house in the morning with the only stipulation to be home for supper. We took a packed lunch and explored the hill behind our house or went in the other direction towards the river. David Covell captures the sense of freedom and joy in these wild and raucous ramblings of childhood.

4 stars

It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk by Josh Funk & Edwardian Taylor (Illustrator)

This was hilarious! The narrator of this fractured fairytale and Jack don't agree on how the story should unfold. Readers will love how Jack and the Giant win.

4 stars

Tiny, Perfect Things by M.H. Clark

A grandfather takes his granddaughter out for a walk to admire the world around them, especially the small things. I was so engaged looking at the richness of the world around them that It wasn't till they returned home that I noticed that the granddaughter is biracial.

I found the rhyming text problematic in areas, but it's a small quibble. It was the illustrations that blew me away in this book. I searched to see if I could find more about Madeline Klopper's artistic process. I haven't found anything yet but I haven't given up either. If you are looking for a book to demonstrate perspective you need look no further.

4 stars

If a Chicken Stayed for Supper by Carrie Weston & Sophie Fatus (Illustrator)

Mother Fox goes off in search of a chicken for dinner for her litter of pups. While she is gone, they disobey her and end up leaving their den. Luckily, they are saved by an unlikely character, Mother Hen.

The kindergarten groups that I read this to adored this book. They especially enjoyed the story drama of acting like naughty foxes cavorting outside their den. They also enjoyed commenting on the little foxes inability to count properly.

4 stars

Jack's Worry by Sam Zuppardi

Jack loves to play his trumpet, but on the day of his first concert, he wakes up with a worry. As Jack tries to avoid it, his worry becomes bigger and bigger. When his worry becomes overwhelming, Jack finally breaks down and tells his mother. When she helps him think about the concert as having fun and sharing something he loves, his worry becomes small.

4 stars

Noni Speaks Up by Heather Hartt-Sussman & Geneviève Côté (Illustrations)

Noni tries to do the right thing all the time, but when she sees a boy at school getting bullied, she freezes. She knows she should do something, but is afraid if she does, she will also get bullied.

Heather Hartt-Sussman & Geneviève Côté are Canadian.

4 stars

Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan

Yazan is a young Syrian boy. Because of the war going on in the streets, he isn't allowed to go to school or play outside. His whole life, including his parents, have changed. One day he decides to sneak out of his house. Luckily he is is discovered before disaster strikes. 

4 stars

Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson & Fumi Kosaka (Illustrations)

One day Ordinary Mary finds some blueberries in an empty lot. She picks them and gives them away to Mrs Bishop who baked them into blueberry muffins. She gave them away to five different people. One of these characters is so glad that he does something good for 5 other people. The story continues in this vein until it comes round to Mary. The message of paying it forward is obvious, but it's worth reading anyway.

5 stars

The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker & Mark Pett (Illustrator)

I read this more times than I can count last week and each group enjoyed it as much as the last. Ibb is a delightfully strong girl. I love that while she takes on responsibility for the castle, she transforms it's relationship with the village. 

NOVELS

3.5 stars

Rise of the Earth Dragon by Tracey West & Graham Howells (Illustrations)

This series is very popular with readers in every school I go to, so this morning, when I had a break, I sat down to read it.

Drake, a young farmer, is taken away from his father's farm by the king's soldiers. When he arrives at the castle, he soon discovers that he has been chosen to be a dragon master. Drake and his dragon, Worm, develop a special connection, but Worm doesn't seem to be able to do much of anything. Then when disaster strikes, he shows them all what he can do. I can see why this is so appealing although I did have some issues with the way girls are represented. I hope this changes as the series progresses.

4 stars

There There by Tommy Orange & Darrell Dennis (Narrator), Shaun Taylor-Corbett (Narrator), Alma Cuervo (Narrator), Kyla Garcia (Narrator)

I'm not sure that listening to this book is the best way to go, although I was riveted throughout. Perhaps it was that I took to long to finish it, but there are a lot of characters to keep track of, and I sometimes lost track of who was who. That said, I did love the individual stories. They were what kept me coming back. I was terrified of the end, but when I finally got there, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the writing. It was as if the entire tragedy was a macabre dance, choreographed in slow motion.

4 stars

Renegades by Marissa Meyer, Rebecca Soler (Narrator) & Dan Bittner (Narrator)

I liked the complexity of the characters in this futuristic novel about a world where prodigies (individuals with super powers) rule over humans, and fight crime and other super power groups. Nova has gone undercover with the Renegades, the ruling group, to find a way to destroy them and get vengeance for her family's death. If I wasn't already looking forward to reading more of this series, that surprise ending would have definitely sent me searching for the next one.

CURRENTLY

I'm reading The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang and Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles. I'm listening to The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. 

UP NEXT

Thankfully my book club meeting was put off because I can't even find my copy of Homegoing. I'll pick up a copy from the library today and get busy reading it. I'll try to get on top of my Netgalley books next week. 

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 5/25 2 in progress

#MustReadNFIn2018 4/12

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 5/25

25 books by Canadian Authors 17/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge 85/333