#IMWAYR January 18, 2021

 Hello out there. It's #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.

Good luck to all our American friends this coming week. We wish you a peaceful transition of power on Inauguration Day.

We had glorious sunny weather last week so I am trying to get back into taking daily walks. I used to wait for the afternoon when it would be a bit warmer, but discovered that if I get out first thing I am more likely to actually do it! How do you maintain an exercise regime?  

I am excited that the Canada Reads shortlist has been announced. This year's theme is One Book to Transport Us. The debate over what book best meets the criteria to achieve this will be held in March. As soon as I saw the list I made sure to put holds on copies at my local library. I was already in the middle of one of them, Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehouse. 

There is only one month until #IReadCanadianDay on February 17th. I'm hoping to I will get a post written sharing some of my favourite Canadian titles a week in advance. I should probably start organizing books soon!

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator. 

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book. 

RECENT BLOG POSTS

This is Frog by Harriet Evans & Jacqui Lee (Illustrations)

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

The Barnabus Project by Eric Fan, Terry Fan,  & Devin Fan 🍁

Devin Fan, an artist, poet and youth worker, joins his brothers for the first time in this book. The artwork is as fabulous as everything else the brothers create. Barnabus, half mouse and half elephant, is a genetically modified creature built for the pet market. Unfortunately, he lives under a bell jar on a shelf with other animals like himself. Deemed failures, they are scheduled to be recycled. In spite of being told it's impossible, Eric breaks his jar and frees the rest of the beasts. They manage to escape and find a new, safe place to live.
Underscoring this charming picture book are some significant messages. One is the importance of liking yourself for who you are. Another highlights the power of working together. It's how the band of misfits is able to escape, survive and thrive.

5 stars

Grandmother School by Rina Singh & Ellen Rooney (Illustrator) 🍁

This tells the story of the Aajibaichi Shala, a school for grandmothers in a village in India. The grandmothers are all over 60 and the oldest is 90. They watched their brothers and their children go to school, but until now, never had the chance to go themselves. The first part of the book tells of one grandmother and her granddaughter. Through their story we see the grandmother's passion to become literate.
What I loved most about this book is the gorgeous pink saris the grandmothers wear. Perhaps in India pink is not as gendered as it is here. For me the colour symbolizes liberation and taking back of women's power. That's exactly what is happening here.

5 stars

The Lady with the Books: A Story Inspired by the Remarkable Work of Jella Lepman by Kathy Stinson & Marie Lafrance (Illustrator) 🍁 

Everything about this book makes my heart sing. It's the story of Jella Lepman and her International Children's library. At the end of the second world war she returned to Germany and created a travelling collection of books from 20 different countries. She believed that the books would build bridges between children from different parts of the world and reduce the possibility of another war. She is the founder of the International Youth Library.
The first part of the book is a fictionalized account of two German children who find solace in the collection. The second part provides additional information about this amazing woman.
The graphite and mixed media illustrations by Marie Lafrance provide details about the time. Post war Germany is a hard place. At the same time, there are flowers growing and people are getting on with their lives. She ensures it's a story of hope.

4 stars

This is Frog by by Harriet Evans & Jacqui Lee (Illustrator) 🍁

This is a Netgalley title I read last week. It's a title previously published in Britain that is being released here in February. It's an interactive book that didn't work in my digital version. It would be a delightful ebook if they ever program it to work in that format. I did find a video showing me the entire book with all it's flaps. It looks like it will be a lot of fun. The artwork is gorgeous. You can find out more about this book and the rest of the series on my longer post here.

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Ocean Speaks: Marie Tharp and the Map That Moved the Earth by Jess Keating & Katie Hickey (Illustrations)

This tells us the story of Marie Tharp. She had to deal with the challenges of not being appreciated or respected for her work because she was a woman. Taking data collected by male scientists, she collated it and created the first map of the ocean showing an underwater mountain range. This provided proof of tectonics and continental drift.
Katie Hickey's artwork is a lovely compliment to this story.
This reminded me of Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor a previous nonfiction picture book about this amazing woman. I think I need to reread it and decide which I like best.

4 stars

Being Frog by April Pulley Sayre

I adore Frogs and since I have appreciated everything else April Pulley Sayre has created, I was predisposed to love this.
I do. 

I adore the photographs of frogs sitting, watching and waiting. I am in awe of the images of frogs leaping, diving and swimming.
Rhyming poetry is hard in picture books. Mostly this one pulls it off although there is a line or two that didn’t work for me. On the other hand, when it does, it’s marvellous.

I really appreciate the author’s note at the end when she writes in more detail about watching, naming, and recognizing the different frogs she knows I her neighbourhood. I also appreciate she articulates the difference between her observations and those of a scientist's.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Displacement by Kiki Hughes

This is a Cybils title so I'm not going to say much about it except this: I've been reading about Japanese incarceration in Canada and the USA for decades. When I started reading I had this idea in my mind that it was just another story about it. I wasn't really enthusiastic to begin, but when I was about 1/4 in, I realized that it doesn't matter how many times I read about this, individual stories always matter. 

NOVELS

5 stars

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehouse 🍁

The best literature slips you inside a character’s soul and forces you into knowing what it means to be the other. Jonny Appleseed is one of the finest examples of this happening. The experience is profound.
Jonny Appleseed, a two spirited Cree person, makes their living selling cybersex. Jonny is so authentic I believed in them and was dismayed to discover this is fiction. The book made me uncomfortable as hell at times, but the raw honesty of Jonny kept me coming back for more. I want a sequel to find out how they are doing.

NONFICTION

4 stars

Strong is the New Pretty by Kate T. Parker

I enjoyed this book. It's a collection of photographs of girls. Each image is captioned with a quote from each person. The book is organized into nine chapters that highlight different traits that make girls strong: confident, wild, resilient, creative, determined, kind, fearless, joyful, and independent. Each section begins with one page of text describing the trait.
I appreciate that there is diversity in the girls in this book. My complaint is that I wish there was more. My half Korean granddaughters will have to look hard to find themselves represented, so will all those healthy bigger girls I worked with across my career. 

DISCWORLD NOVELS

"Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind; it doesn't take you anywhere, but it tones up muscles that might." Terry Pratchett

3 stars

Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett

Interesting times is essentially about oppressive governments, revolution and how revolutionaries often don't ask the people what it is they want.
This isn't one of my favourite Discworld novels, but it has huge sections that read like stand up comedy. Cohen the Barbarian and his horde of silver haired old warriors make for some hilarious moments. It is full of delightful references about the difference between and education and learning. I especially loved Ronald Saveloy, teacher turned barbarian, and some of the quotes connected to him - like this:
'I decided to give it up and make a living by the sword.’
‘After being a teacher all your life?’
‘It did mean a change of perspective, yes.’
‘But...well…surely…the privation, the terrible hazards, the daily risk of death…’
Mr Saveloy brightened up. ‘Oh, you’ve been a teacher, have you?'

4 stars

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

I'm coming to realize that I prefer Pratchett's female protagonists over his male ones. Susan, Death's granddaughter is one of them. Hogfather is Pratchett's nod to the Santa Claus myth. It takes jabs at numerous Christmas stories - the Little Match Girl, 'Good' King Wenceslas, Dylan Thomas and Dickens.

The auditors (rulers of the universe) have visited the Assassins Guild and taken out a hit on the Hogfather. The contract is given to Teatime, a creative, albeit ruthless, insane assassin. Teatime realizes that destroying belief in the Hogfather will be the end of him. 

When the Hogfather is missing on the eve of Hogwatchnight, Death and his servant, Albert, take his place. Susan, whose motto is, "don't get afraid, get angry,” ends up searching for the Hogfather. It's imperative that he be found since one of his first jobs is to ensure that the sun rises.

Pratchett takes on belief regularly in his novels. So far, none have felt so profound as this one. Death makes the message clear, we need to believe in things so they can come true. We need to believe in small fantasies, like Hogfathers and Tooth Fairies, in order to believe in larger ones, like justice, hope and democracy. 

CURRENTLY 

I'm listening to Patron Saints of Nothing by by Randy Ribay. I've got All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung on the go. I'm reading You Brought Me The Ocean by Alex Sanchez.

UP NEXT 

Maybe next week I'll get to Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson, but there is that pile of graphic novels that I have to read for the Cybils so we shall see. I expect to start Terry Pratchett's Feet of Clay.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS 

#MustReadIn2021 3/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 1/12 one in progress

#MustReadPBIn2021 3/100

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 3/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 6/100

Canada Reads 2021 1/5

Discworld Series 20/41 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 22/333