#IMWAYR July 19, 2021

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 trying hard to get on top of my picture book reading these days. I should be more than half way through my #MustReadPBIn2021 reading goal but I'm not. It's not a hardship to read these book, in fact it's mostly pure joy. I intend to do better. 

I'm also continue trying to get my garden under control. I fear is a losing battle, but one I'm not prepared to concede quite yet. We have been enjoying feasting on all the fruits of our labour. Nothing tastes as good as a bacon and tomato sandwich made with home made bacon, bread, and freshly picked tomatoes. It tastes delicious even without the bacon. 

We got our second jab last week. I am happy to report that other than a sore arm neither my partner or I experienced any side effects. 

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

Fred & Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin by Deborah Kerbel

PICTURE BOOKS

 

4 stars

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano & Erin E. Stead (Illustrator) January 1, 2012

A young boy and his dog plant seeds at the end of winter and wait for them to finally grow. I love the vintage feel of Stead's illustrations.

3.5 stars

Little Wolf by Teoni Spathelfer & Natassia Davies (Illustrator) May 19 2021 🍁

This tells of a young Indigenous girl growing up in a city while holding fast to her roots and culture. She spends summers on her grandfather’s fishing boat. She looks for animals wherever she is. The highlight of her younger years is getting a dog. While she endures some racism, she stays strong. The library becomes her favourite place. She spends hours there reading about other cultures and the leadership of MLK.
This doesn’t have a plot or story arc. It just highlights the ordinary life of this young urban Indigenous girl.
Natassia Davis’ art is glorious.

5 stars

Because by Mo Willems & Amber Ren (Illustrator) March 5, 2019

Because this book is a celebration of music and happenstance. Because this book gave me shivers while I read it. Because I’m encouraging everyone to pick it up and give it a chance. 

4 stars

Julián at the Wedding by Jessica Love October 6, 2020

I absolutely adore the art work in this picture book. I love that it celebrates love itself. I appreciate that it captures the acceptance and joy of childhood. 

5 stars

Almost Time by Gary D. Schmidt, Elizabeth Stickney & G. Brian Karas (Illustrator) January 14, 2020

When there is no more maple syrup for his pancakes, a young boy knows that sugaring off time will be soon. When his tooth becomes loose, his father says it will come out when it’s time to collect maple syrup. I loved the hints of how the season is progressing. It’s there in the increasing amount of daylight and in the gradual warming of the air. In spite of this, from the boy’s perspective, it still seams take ages and ages.
“But the days were still cold. And the nights were still long.”

4 stars

I Promise by Catherine Hernandez & Syrus Marcus Ware (Illustrations) October 15, 2019 🍁

This book made me happy. A young girl asks her mother where her different friends come from. Her mother responds that each one comes from a promise. Sometimes it’s a promise that every child deserves a safe home. Sometimes it’s a promise to share and take turns because different people are good at different kinds of things.
While this book might be a celebration of queer families, these promises resonate for all of us.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Terry Fox and Me by Mary Beth Leatherdale & Milan Pavlović (Illustrator) August 4, 2020 🍁

People outside of Canada hardly know of Terry Fox. In Canada he has more than once been voted our number one hero.
He was always an athlete. When he was at university, bone cancer was discovered in his leg. 80% was amputated. A year or so later, using a prosthetic leg, he set off on the Marathon Of Hope. He planned to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. This narrative, told from the perspective of his best friend, Doug Alvarado, gives us additional insight into the kind of person Terry was. Doug helped him train for the daily marathon and was with him everyday until Terry was forced to stop. His cancer had returned.
Each year people take up Terry’s challenge and participate in the annual Marathon of Hope. To date $800 million dollars have been raised. In 2020 three million students participated in the run.

5 stars

She Caught the Light: Williamina Stevens Fleming: Astronomer by Kathryn Lasky & Julianna Swaney (Illustrations) January 1, 2021

Williamina (Mina) Flemming was a bright child who ended up having to leave school and go to work when her father died.
When her husband disappeared, Mina, then pregnant, found a job working as a maid for the Director of the Harvard college observatory, Professor Pickering, and his wife Elizabeth. Both of them recognized her intelligence and eventually Mrs. Pickering urged her husband to hire Mina. Because she was a woman, Mina wasn’t allowed to look through a telescope. What she saw were the glass plates that recorded what men saw through them. She was one of a team of women known as the "human computers."

Eventually William Mina Patton Stevens Fleming was the first woman to be appointed to a titled position at Harvard University: the curator of astronomical photographs. In her lifetime she classified the spectra of over 10,000 stars and created the classification system that helped map the universe.
Julianna Swaney used watercolor, gouache, colour pencil and Photoshop to create these illustrations.

The back matter contains a timeline, a glossary, a biography, and author's note, and a bibliography. 

Many thanks to Jeanne Walker at True Tales & A Cherry On Top for introducing me to this book.

NON FICTION GRAPHIC

5 stars

Fred & Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin by Deborah Kerbel & Angela Yoon (Illustrations) 🍁

They didn't wear capes, but Banting and Best were superheroes. The two scientists worked with stray dogs to find a cure for diabetes. This exciting graphic novel shows how insulin was discovered and created.
We need more inspirational stories like this one.
These scientists sold their rights for the treatment for $1 each. None of them were rich. In fact, Banting barely made ends meet until he was finally given a salary.
Today, disaster capitalists manufacture and sell insulin at prices so high that individuals with the disease die because they can't afford their medication.
You can read my full blog post here.

NOVELS

4 stars

The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Sila’s mother, Oya, had to return to Turkey to get some documents signed to sort out her immigration status. Almost a year later, she is still there. Sila and her father’s despair are almost overwhelming.
One day Sila’s father takes her with him to do some repairs on an old truck. The two of them make friends with Gino, its owner. He lives on a wild expanse of land surrounded by an eight foot high stone wall that he purchased with lottery winnings. One day they meet at a donut shop to celebrate Gino’s birthday. A disbanding circus group arrives and before the day is done, Gino has purchased himself an elephant named Veda and a very cranky bear. He soon finds a suitable place for the bear, but sets out on a steep learning curve for how to look after an elephant.
At school Silas has been paired up in a special project with Mateo, an autistic boy. Eventually the two of them become friends. That summer they work together at Gino’s helping out with Veda. Mateo’s mother is a lawyer and when she finds out what has happened to Oya, works with another lawyer in the firm pro bono to bring her home.
This book is beautifully written. Goldberg Sloan writes authentic, emotionally engaging characters readers can’t help but care about. The multiple storylines come together in a fairytale ending. I loved it.
I wondered about this not being an own voices novel. On the book jacket it says that Holly Goldberg Sloan spent part of her childhood growing up in Istanbul. It feels authentic to me, but I wonder what a Turkish reader would think.

5 stars

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells April 27, 2021

I am of the opinion that if you haven't read any Murderbot Diaries, then you are living a deprived life. Murderbot just might be my favourite fictional character. They are definitely my favourite sci fi character. In this story Murderbot works with the security team on Preservation Station to solve a murder.
This one might not have had quite as much humour as some of the others, but it was pure joy to be reading about this character again. I've also got the audiobook on reserve and am looking forward to listening to it. Kevin R. Free has nailed this character in the other books. 

NON FICTION

5 stars

A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency by Seth Klein & John Cleland 🍁

I listened to this, but plan to read the print version. Sometimes I sink into despair when I think about the lack of progress being made towards dealing with the climate crisis. Seth Klein managed to fill me with hope. He outlines a plan for how a New Green Deal can be implemented. He bases it on the strategies implemented during the second world war, with the proviso that we leave out the racist aspects of those times. I might end up purchasing copies for everyone I know. 

4 stars

Fred Korematsu Speaks up by Laura Atkins, Stan Yogi & Yutaka Houlette (Illustrator) January 30, 2017

The unfair story of Japanese internment here in Canada and in the United States isn’t new to me. However, Fred Korematsu’s story is. Fred grew up wanting to be like any other American teen. When Pearl Harbour was bombed and Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes on the west coast, he pretended to be someone from Hawaii. He got caught and thrown in jail. A lawyer from the ACLU took in his case for free. They took his case to the Supreme Court where they lost. Forty years later another lawyer approached Fred. New evidence showed that government had lied in the evidence presented to the original judges. Fred was exonerated. Until his death, he continued to fight for fair treatment of all people who were imprisoned because of what they looked like.
I like the formate of this book. Part of the story is told in poetry. There are plenty of more traditional nonfiction text features including photographs, text boxes, and plain text. Cartoons and other artwork capture the personal experiences of other internees.
I like that at the same time as the book highlights Fred’s experiences, it articulated the important role of allies when prejudice and injustice take place.

CURRENTLY 

If I Tell You The Truth by Jasmin Kaur

Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert & Rebecca Lowman (Narrator)

Ways to Grow Love by Renée Watson, 

UP NEXT

The Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging by Hannalora Leavitt

I'll continue to work at getting the picture book pile under control.

BLOG POSTS PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK

A Kid Is a Kid Is a Kid by Sara O'Leary

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 20/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 8/12

#MustReadPBIn2021 45/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 4 one in progress

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 24/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 76/100 - one in progress

Canada Reads 2021 4/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 265 /333