#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.
These days I'm working 4 days a week in a
nearby school library. Aside from it being exhausting, I am loving the
introduction to new students and new to me books. Some of the picture books
I read this week come from there.
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
Hand Over Hand by Alma Fullerton &
Renné Benoit (Illustrations)
Nina wants to go fishing with her
grandfather (Lolo) but a boat is not the place for a girl. Eventually, by
agreeing to bait and remove her own fish, he agrees to let her try. At first it
looks like the other fishermen might be right about a girl’s place not being on
a boat, but in the end, Nina surprises everyone, including herself.
Renee Benoit’s gorgeous illustrations convey the loving relationship between the two characters as well
as beauty of the ocean landscape.
 |
| 3 stars |
P'esk'a and the First Salmon Ceremony by
Scot Ritchie
I have mixed feelings about this
book.
It begins with what looks like a non indigenous family at
an interpretive spot near a river. They wonder, what if you could go back in
time? The next page takes us 1000 years in the past, just in time for the
first salmon ceremony. I’m not sure if first means first salmon ceremony of the
year, or the first in all time. (I thought the people had been here for 10,000
years at least) We find ourselves in the middle of a bustling, thriving
Sts’aile community where readers learn a lot about how these people used the
world around them in their everyday life. The day ends up with a salmon
ceremony.
I liked that the book uses Sts’aile
vocabulary throughout and that there is additional information at the end of
the book as well as a glossary. There is also a letter from Chief William
Charlie who writes that the book is carefully researched and respectful of
their culture.
Perhaps I ought not to quibble, but here
are my concerns:
First, while Scot Ritchie has done a
beautiful job with the information and illustrations, this is not an #ownvoices
title.
Second, the only indigenous people we see
are those from 1000 years ago, leaving an impression that they are no longer around.
 |
| 4 stars |
A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
This is a delightful, simple to read book
with an important message about how we look at life. Four different animals
have something distressing happen, but for all kinds of reasons, things change and
good things follow.
 |
| 3 stars |
So Happy! by Kevin Henkes & Anita
Lobel (Illustrations)
I'm not exactly sure how to evaluate this
book. I found it in the library I was working in this week. Anita Lobel's art
makes me very happy. I could spend hours perusing her illustrations. Others
have written that it is as if Van Gogh painted the desert. I agree. The text is
very simple with three story lines intersecting and connecting, that of a bored
boy, a lost rabbit and a magic seed.
 |
| 5 stars |
Sarabella's Thinking Cap by Judy Schachner
Stunning illustrations are what first drew
me to this book. I was then blown away by the important message about
creativity and imagination.
There is so much to love about this book especially Sarabella's accepting family and teacher. Although her teacher does send home notes
about Sarabella's daydreaming, acknowledging that her
creative imaginative is a problem, they reveal his appreciation for her as well.
NOVELS
 |
| 4 stars |
American Panda by Gloria Chao
As I read this book I couldn't help but
remember one of my brilliant Chinese students whose parents were much like
Mei's parents here. My student was a gifted author and had a passion for
literature. The last time I saw her she had graduated from high school and was
ready to go to university with an A+ average. Her parents were insisting that
she study medicine. She came to see me hoping I could help her find some way to
make them see who she was. I still ache that all I could do was listen.
So this book is kind of her book. I hope
like Mei, she has been able to force them to see who she really is. Mei's
family dynamics are fascinating. I don't always enjoy teen romances because
they are often to angst ridden, but I actually liked how this one developed.
I sure wish this book had been there for
me to give to my student.
 |
| 4 stars |
The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David
Barclay Moore & Nile Bullock (Narrator)
I ended up liking this book more than I
expected. Lolly Rachpaul's brother died from gang violence before the book begins. He and
his mother are still dealing with his loss. This book takes us with Lolly through the
year after the tragedy. He carries a load of guilt and anger that is only
appeased when he builds with legos. When his mom's girlfriend starts to bring over
bags of lego, he begins to build on a huge scale. Through his lego construction
he befriends Big Rose, an autistic girl in his building.
The book is populated with interesting,
authentic characters. They are all doing their best to navigate their way
through their Harlem neighbourhood into adulthood. It's much harder than it
seems. Luckily, Lolly has good friends and solid adults holding him up and helping him
work his way through it all.
CURRENTLY
I'm back to reading Scythe by Neal
Shusterman and am listening to We Were Eight Years in Power: An American
Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
UP NEXT
Our bookclub meeting has been postponed so
the next book I read with my eyes will probably be The Problim Children by
Natalie Lloyd. I'm in line for three audiobooks and will be listening to
whatever arrives first.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2018 14/25
#MustReadNFIn2018 4/12 1 in progress
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors
7/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge 158/333
