#IMWAYR February 15, 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.

I Read Canadian Day is this Wednesday, February 17th!

Last week I finished a collection of blog posts highlighting some of the best Canadian literature I've read in the past few years. You don't have to be Canadian to help us celebrate! I'm hoping that everyone will find something to read on those lists.  

Have you checked out this years Cybils winners yet? 

It was cold last week. I know our -10 C and -11 C isn't a big deal for many parts of the continent, but with that north wind, it was plenty chilly for me. I borrowed my partner's balaclava and planned out my daily walking routes so that I would walk as little as possible into the wind. It warmed up to -3 on Sunday and is supposed to continue the warming trend into next week. We've only had skiffs of snow so far with more light flurries to come.  

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. 

BLOG POSTS LAST WEEK

#IReadCanadian: Books For Younger Readers

#IReadCanadian: NonFiction for Younger Readers

#IReadCanadian: Books for Tweens, Teens, and Young Adult Readers

#IReadCanadian: Some Authors for Adults

PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

To the Sea by Cale Atkinson 🍁

This is a gorgeous story of friendship.
Tim feels invisible until he meets Sam, a stranded whale. No one else noticed him. Tim felt that no one noticed him either. Both of them felt better knowing they weren't invisible. Tim goes out of his way and achieves the impossible to get his new friend back to the sea. It looks like he might just make a new land based friend at the end of it.
Orange text is set against a palette of bright orange, dark green and blue stunning illustrations.

4 stars

The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil & Anait Semirdzhyan (Illustrator)

As a quilter, I am predisposed to love this book. I do. It's the story of a young girl who feels like an outsider in her new school until her mother and teacher work together to create an inclusion quilt. Each student in her class creates a template with their name written in Arabic. Adults take these and turn them into a paper quilt that is presented on a bulletin board outside the classroom.
I adored the quilt Kanzi's teita (grandmother) in Egypt made. We creators of fabric art, no matter our skills, are connected around the world through our passion for creating things of beauty out of bits of fabric.

4 stars

A Walk on the Shoreline by Rebecca Hainnu & Qin Leng (Illustrator) 🍁

Let me begin by saying that this isn't a European style traditional picture book. It tells the story of a young Inuit boy and his uncle who are walking along the beach to the family's annual camp. On the way they meet up with some of his cousins who are fishing through the ice. Along the way the boy and his uncle talk about the different plants and animals they see. The boy has come from the south where he lives with adopted parents. It's through these walks with the uncle that he is able to connect to, and become part of his roots. I admit to wanting to know more about why the boy was living in the south to start with.
Some people might think that nothing is going on here, but I disagree with them. Who says the activities of daily life can't be a story? This is an Inuit author and teacher who is writing for her community. Qin Leng's illustrations are lovely but I wish the pages were not so text heavy. That said, the book doesn't have to fit into anyone's Euro-Western ideals.
I would love to have had this book back in the day when I was in a classroom teaching my students about Indigenous Canadians. I appreciate that it integrates traditional knowledge and modern life.
The back of the book contains more information about these different plants and animals as well as explaining their traditional Inuit uses.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

What Is a Refugee? by Elise Gravel 🍁

This is a brilliant introduction to refugees for younger readers. In simple text and colourful illustrations, Gravel explains what a refugee is and why people like you and me had to leave their country. The back matter contains illustrated pictures of refugee kids who told Gravel something about themselves. It also contains a list of famous refugees.
My only quibble with this book is that I wish there had been a page and statement talking about climate refugees.

5 stars

The Nest That Wren Built by Randi Sonenshine & Anne Hunter  (Illustrations)

Thanks to Linda Bai for telling me about this book. Rarely do I find rhyming poetry in picture books that is this lovely and works so well.
The story line follows a couple of wrens as they build a nest, lay and hatch eggs, and raise their brood from hatchlings to fledglings.
Anne Hunter's soft, exquisitely detailed illustrations are a wonderful companion to Sonenshine's poem.
I appreciated the Glossary and Wren Facts sections in the back matter.

NON FICTION

4 stars

Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward

I've listened to this about 4 times and can't come up with words to describe how profound it is. It is inspiring and hopeful as Ward tells readers that persistence and adaptation are the strategies that will enable you to achieve your dreams. Last fall I saw Ibram X. Kendi and Jesmyn Ward In Conversation, as part of the Thinking While Black series hosted by the Phil Lind Initiative at UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. She talked about her early years and how hard it was/is for Black people growing up where she came from. In comparison, this speech, where racism is never named, seems to gloss over the very real obstacles faced by many Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. 

5 stars

How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other by Naomi Klein & Rebecca Stefoff 🍁

I just finished this Netgalley title and will have a full review next week sometime. In a nutshell, the authors take Klein's writing for adults and adapt it for teens. It is brilliantly done. It will be released on February 23rd. Preorder it. 

NOVELS

4 stars

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz & Christina Moore (Narrator)

I enjoyed this introduction to the series. The characters are hilarious and the mystery was interesting. I admit to being surprised as heck by the ending.

 

DISCWORLD NOVELS

3 stars

The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Briggs (Narrator)

From what I have read of this book, I think you need to read it rather than just listen to it. Apparently it is a perfect marriage between Terry Pratchett's words and Paul Kidby illustrations.
The Silver Horde, a group of aged barbarians led by Cohen the Barbarian, head off to return fire to the gods. While they are there, they plan to blow the place up. If they are successful it will mean the end of the Discworld. A group of Ankh-Morporkians create a plan to stop them. It involves sending Rincewind, Leonard of Quirm, and Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson in a dragon powered spacecraft to stop them.

CURRENTLY 

I'm in the middle of listening to Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and have to finish it before it has to go back to the library. I listen while I am out on my walks and end up swearing to myself regularly at the stupidity of humanity. The Pratchett novel I'm listening to is The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. Other than that, this week I'm planning on reading primarily Canadian authors. I'll be continuing with Crossing Home Ground by David Pitt-Brooke.  

UP NEXT

I'll be starting Our Corner Store by Robert Heidbreder. I've abandoned hope that I will find time to get to the Canada Reads before the debate, so I will see what other Canadian titles I have at hand. 

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS 

#MustReadIn2021 4/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 2/12 

#MustReadPBIn2021 12/100

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 6/25 

Books by Canadian Authors: 17/100

Canada Reads 2021 1/5

Discworld Series 27/41 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 64/333