Welcome readers! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. 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. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.
I'm here today with a couple of weeks of reading. It's a schedule I might adhere to since I seem to have a lot happening in my life these days.
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.
PICTURE BOOKS
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| 5 stars |
Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty & David Roberts (Illustrations) November 2, 2021
Just Wow! I think this is my favourite title from this series. This story, told in verse, is based on Aaron Douglas, an American painter, illustrator, visual arts educator and a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
Aaron Slater is a young boy with dyslexia. Learning to read is hard for him, but he is a gifted story teller and artist. He is lucky to be surrounded by supportive family and teachers who love and appreciate him as he is while they help him learn to read. Every school library should have at least one copy of this book. Classroom libraries should have copies of it. I wish it had been around when I was still teaching to share with students who struggled with learning to read.
NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS
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| 5 stars |
Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom by Connie Schofield-Morrison & Elizabeth Zunon (Illustrator) November 9, 2021
As someone who sews, I was predisposed to love this book. I did. I read it twice. I especially love that the collage illustrations show Elizabeth's designs in real fabric. I liked that the book didn't gloss over the horrible things that happened to her while she was a slave.
I'm left wondering what she wrote in her book that made Mary Lincoln so mad at her.
I'm left wondering what she wrote in her book that made Mary Lincoln so mad at her.
MG NON FICTION
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| 4 stars |
Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeannine Atkins September 20, 2016
These biographies in verse are a delightful introduction to these three young women. Maria Merian and Maria Mitchell are new to me. I have been reading about Mary Anning, so I knew a fair bit about her. I like how Jeannine Atkins' poetry brings an emotional poignancy to these biographies.
NOVELS
This is a fictionalized account of Mary Anning, known as the Mother of Palaeontology. Some of the events in her life are mixed up (like the opening of her shop), but this is an interesting look into her life.
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| 4 stars |
Pax, Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker, Jon Klassen 🍁 (Illustrator) & Michael Curran-Dorsano ( Narrator)
The war is over. In this book we see how Pax has moved on with his life and new family. In the mean time, Peter is still coming to grips with almost overwhelming loss. He joins the Water Warriors to help cleaning up the land and water destroyed by war. He doesn't want to connect with others because he doesn't want to experience that kind of loss ever again. In the end, when Pax needs him, his healing begins in earnest.
I started reading this about the same time Russia invaded Ukraine. It left me wondering how people recover from these kinds of atrocities.
The more I read of Nnedi Okorafor, the more I want to read.
It's almost impossible for me to put one of her books down once I've started. AO and DNA just might be the sweetest couple I've read in a long time. It helps that their romance is really incidental to the brilliant science fiction. I hope this is the first in a series.
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| 4 stars |
Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor & Ben Onwukwe (Narrator) August 18, 2020
It says a lot about Okorafor's writing that I was totally engaged in this super hero novel. It's a genre that I generally avoid. After Nnamdi's father, the police chief, was murdered, he and his mother end up living in near poverty. Then the ghost of his father gives him an ikenga, a small artifact that confers magical powers. Nnamdi uses these powers to fight crime and search for his father's murderer. He agonizes over his use of violence. When his friend Chioma learns what is going on, she ends up helping him. The numerous confrontations with the father's possible murderers and the almost completely corrupt police system make this a fascinating read.
I am not well acquainted with the bible, but I enjoyed this fictional history that deals with the lives of women. It has been on my want to read list for a decade or so. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.
I am not well acquainted with the bible, but I enjoyed this fictional history that deals with the lives of women. It has been on my want to read list for a decade or so. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.
CURRENTLY
- Powwow, A Celebration Through Song and Dance by Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane 🍁
- Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez 🍁
- The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour by Dawn Dumont 🍁
- The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
UP NEXT
- Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
- Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of Katherine Johnson by Katherine Johnson
READING GOALS
#MustReadFiction 5/24
#MustReadNonFiction 1/18 - 2 in progress
Canadian Authors 15/100
Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 rereading one
Indigenous Authors 5/25 - 2 in progress
So many good books to find & enjoy, Cheriee. I have Jeannine's book, love all that she writes so I know I'll love this one. The new Mary Anning sounds interesting. I think I told you that Jeannine has written about her, too? I'll look for Stitch by Stitch, new to me, plus the others you shared. Thanks, hope you're not too busy. I always like what you share!
ReplyDeleteI definitely understand the difficulty of cramming blogging into a busy life (I've felt very disconnected from my own blog lately), so post whenever you can—we're always excited to see you! Aaron Slater, Illustrator sounds delightful—I've seen that series, but I don't think I had seen that specific book and how it ties into dyslexia until now. Stitch by Stitch looks fantastic as well—I made note of it on my list. The Jeannine Atkins book and the book on Mary Anning both sound fascinating—it's neat that you've now read about Anning twice in a couple weeks! And it's wonderful that you're enjoying the Nnedi Okorafor books as well. Thanks so much for the wonderful post, Cheriee!
ReplyDelete(P.S. I reviewed Gemma and the Giant Girl last week because you had recommended it a while back, and it was fantastic and delightfully strange—I appreciate you recommending it!)
I have never read The Red Tent, but I remember many people recommending it when it was a newer book. Maybe someday I'll get around to reading it!
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