Hello everyone. 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'm sharing two weeks worth of books today. My son, his partner, and their two children spent 5 days with us last week. I hardly had time to read, never mind write. Here they are picking cherries for the first time.
They left Tuesday morning. We hated to see them go, but we were exhausted. A ten month old and a four year old will do that to you. To make matters worse I've had to deal with some complications from my surgery. Thankfully, it's all good for now.
Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
PICTURE BOOKS
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| 5 stars |
Mr. Postmouse's Rounds by Marianne Dubuc April 1, 2015 🍁
Mr. Postmouse delivers mail and parcels to many different animals on his daily round. Luckily there is nothing for the snake who is so long he stretches across a couple of two page spreads. The details of the different animal homes are full of whimsy. This is a delightful read for fans of Richard Scarry.
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| 5 stars |
Mr. Postmouse Takes a Trip by Marianne Dubuc March 2, 2017 🍁
I wish I had dug this out of my library pile when my grandson was visiting. Mr. Postmouse takes a break from work to go on vacation with his family. They travel around the world visiting all kinds of exciting places. There is a parcel to deliver at every destination. This is an ideal book for readers who like the kind of complicated illustrations of Richard Scarry. My sons loved his work and I'm sure my grandkids will love this.
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| 5 stars |
Wishes by Mượn Thị Văn & Victo Ngai (Illustrations) May 04, 2021
This book about a family fleeing from Vietnam after the war is profound. I had shivers reading it.
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| 4 stars |
Hike by Pete Oswald Mar 17, 2020
This wordless book tells of the adventures of a child and their father. The two of them get up early to go on a long hike. The illustrations are full of details about the landscape and the creatures inhabiting it. It's a glorious day to the top of a mountain and the youngster is tired out at the end of the adventure.
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| 5 stars |
Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor Feb 04, 2020
My grandson and I loved this book. We laughed so much we had to read it over and over. I especially loved how Snail helped the antsy ants and they in turn helped him.
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| 3.5 stars |
The Farmer and the Circus by Marla Frazee April 6, 2021
This delightful trilogy concludes with a romantic ending.
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| 4 stars |
If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall Sep 15, 2020
This drop dead gorgeous picture book is a guide for aliens about our planet. I love the diversity in culture, families, gender, and abilities that are showcased. I have read that some people think aspects of this are problematic in that certain groups are stereotyped.
NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS
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| 5 stars |
The Boreal Forest: A Year in the World's Largest Land Biome by L.E. Carmichael & Josée Bisaillon (Illustrations) Apr 07, 2020 🍁
This book is a brilliant exploration of this biome. It looks at animals and plants across the seasons. To find out more and see some examples of the illustrations check out my post here.
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| 5 stars |
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler & Loren Long (Illustrator) Mar 23, 2021
The art in this is spectacular. My four year old grandson and I enjoyed looking at all the details. He told me the names of most of the machines. We agreed that next time he should read it with Grandpa who can probably explain more about what is going on in the building pictures. I especially appreciated the diversity in the people working.
POETRY
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| 4 stars |
The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park & Robert Sae-Heng (Illustrations) Mar 16, 2021
This book feels kind of prescient. In the last week we had four fires break out within six kilometers of where we live. The air is full of smoke haze this morning.
It is written in sijo, a Korean form of poetry. Through this narrative verse we learn about the different things students would save if their house was burning down. We learn a lot about each one from what they choose.
Having experienced a house fire once, all I can say is that so long as everyone is safe, it's all that matters.
CHAPTER BOOKS
NOVELS
This is not a comfortable read, but it’s a necessary one. If you want to understand what went on in the residential ‘school’ system and the ramifications for survivors, this is your book. Even though I was aware of the horror of these places, Michelle Good's story of five survivors brought my understanding of this violence against culture, families and children into a deeper understanding.
Like a friend of mine said, "it opened my eyes even wider. The mean spirited nastiness, righteous arrogance, and lack of respect and empathy shown toward Indigenous people by residential institution leaders and our government makes me nauseous."
Like a friend of mine said, "it opened my eyes even wider. The mean spirited nastiness, righteous arrogance, and lack of respect and empathy shown toward Indigenous people by residential institution leaders and our government makes me nauseous."
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| 4 stars |
Thrive by Kenneth Oppel 🍁May 04, 2021
With house guests I couldn't just sit down and read this book from cover to cover like I did the first two in the series. Disrupting the flow meant that I wasn't as absorbed in the story and that on edge feeling that permeated those first two, didn't get a hold on me this time. I still loved it, but would have enjoyed it more without having to stop and start. I didn't begrudge spending time with my grandson, but it was close.
Like the first two, this one is full of worry and fear for the three protagonists, Anaya, Petra, and Seth. The different messages from different alien factions have Seth questioning who to believe. On the one hand the captain of the ship he's been brought to has given him the capacity to fly. On the other, rebel forces warn him not to trust him.
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| 4 stars |
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez & Kyla Garcia (Narrator) Oct 17, 2017
Erika L. Sánchezes rich, complex, and authentic characters made this book a winner for me. She does this with all her people, not just the protagonist. I adored Julia, a young teen of Mexican ancestry who doesn't fit into the mold her family expects of her. I liked that Julia worked to understand who Olga, her perfect, older sister, was after she died. Her relationship with her family, especially her mother, is complicated and messy. I appreciated that Julia ended up in therapy and that her life improved because of it. This YA book is both gritty and beautiful.
Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy & Adam Barr (Narrator) Feb 04, 2020
This fascinating book made me rethink what to do with our front yard space. I had plans for drought resistant plants, but this book has filled me with hope for what we can do individually in our own spaces to support local insects, bees, birds and other wildlife. Thanks to Sue Jackson who turned me onto this book.
The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution by Richard W. Wrangham & Michael Page (Narrator) January 17, 2019
Wrangham looks at how we humans have managed to domesticate ourselves. He identifies the difference between proactive and reactive aggression and shows how, over the last 250 million years, through self selection, we have managed to reduce the latter. This is an ideal companion book to read with War by by Margaret MacMillan.
I'm glad I purchased this because it's a book I will want to reread. I figure I only grasped the surface of it the first time round.
MacMillan addresses what Wrangham calls proactive aggression. She looks at the history of war and how it has shaped the kind of cultures and societies we live in. It's big picture and overarching in it's scope.
Fred & Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin by Deborah Kerbel
NON FICTION
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| 5 stars |
Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy & Adam Barr (Narrator) Feb 04, 2020
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| 5 stars |
The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution by Richard W. Wrangham & Michael Page (Narrator) January 17, 2019
Wrangham looks at how we humans have managed to domesticate ourselves. He identifies the difference between proactive and reactive aggression and shows how, over the last 250 million years, through self selection, we have managed to reduce the latter. This is an ideal companion book to read with War by by Margaret MacMillan.
I'm glad I purchased this because it's a book I will want to reread. I figure I only grasped the surface of it the first time round.
MacMillan addresses what Wrangham calls proactive aggression. She looks at the history of war and how it has shaped the kind of cultures and societies we live in. It's big picture and overarching in it's scope.
CURRENTLY
A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency by Seth Klein
The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Fred Korematsu Speaks up by Laura Atkins
UP NEXT
The Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging by Hannalora Leavitt
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
I'll also continue to work at getting the picture book pile under control.
BLOG POSTS PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK
Fred & Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin by Deborah Kerbel
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2021 19/25 - one in progress
#MustReadIn2021 19/25 - one in progress
#MustReadNFIn2021 7/12 - one in progress
#MustReadPBIn2021 39/100
Big Book Summer Challenge 4
Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 23/25
Books by Canadian Authors: 72/100 - two in progress
Canada Reads 2021 4/5
Discworld Series 41/41
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 252 /333
I hope you all had fun with your family visit, and I hope you get a chance to rest up now! And I'm sorry about your complications—I'm glad those are under control. These books all sound fantastic! Wishes looks like such a beautiful book—I can't find it on Libby, but it looks so pretty that I might just buy a hard copy! The same goes for The One Thing You'd Save. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter sounds fantastic as well! Thanks so much for the great post!
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful to have the kids here. Wishes is a truly special book. I hope you find a copy to read.
DeleteLove so many of the picture books on your list. Your pictures are great! I hope you get to rest up!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing my best!
DeleteHope you are on the mend ... added Five Little Indians to my TBR pile. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have turned someone else onto Five Little Indians. It's such an important book.
DeleteWishes was so good. Such an important book. Someone Builds the Dream was also excellent. You have a great selection of books this week. Glad to hear you're finally doing better after your surgery complications.
ReplyDeleteIt takes time to curate my reading life but it pays off in the end.
DeleteWow! So many fantastic books. I don't think I've read any of these yet.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recommendations.
You are most welcome. Hope you find some of them.
DeleteThat is quite a lot of great reads. Hike and Snail Crossing were very popular read alouds in my library this school year. Hike was very interesting as each group got different things out of it. I had some grade 3 students who really wanted to talk about how the trip was something that each generation of the family had done and documented in pictures. An older group didn't notice that all. I also really enjoyed Thrive and get what you said about getting into the flow of it. I had a similar issue.
ReplyDeleteLots of books here that I am hoping to read eventually, especially Five Little Indians but also Ancestor Approved, The One Thing You'd Save (prescient indeed) and The Boreal Forest among others.
Curating lists of books to read takes time and effort, but it pays off. I really appreciate the titles I get from you a lot!
DeleteI hope you continue healing quickly! Complications are never fun when you just want to get the healing process going smoothly.
ReplyDeleteLove seeing the pictures of your little ones. They are growing too quickly!
Fantastic books listed. And so many - your quiet reading weeks always eclipse my best ones!
I have The Disability Experience in my pile to read too!