Monday Reading - Beginning A New Year

          

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! I've been reading various things lately, trying to catch up with magazine articles. Now I have two books going, one from the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery list (It's almost time for the awards!) and one that will be published later in the month, an ARC from Publisher's Weekly. They are A Strange Thing Happened at Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga (imagination plus!) and Pam Jenoff's Last Twilight in Paris (intriguing so far, connecting in history from the Nazis in Paris to a future time). The holidays were wonderful with family and friends making merry! I hope all of you had a great time, however you celebrated!

       Happy New Year wishes to everyone!

Thanks to Candlewick Press
for my copy!

               This is such a sweet story that I read it very fast, but this time of year is busy so I'm just now sharing about it. Middle school boy Evan keeps to himself much of the time, has a few friends, but mainly on the bus ride home. He feels he doesn't fit much of anywhere, even at home with a mother who hardly speaks to him and a father immersed in carving wood creations, which make a lot of money. There are no money worries, but in this boy's life, loneliness worries until a border collie who seems to know the boy needs "something" starts following Evan and even joins him when he's running. Yet, like many stories, it gets complicated. Evan gains some better friends, and then the dog, after being gone for a while, arrives, clearly on a mission involving an abusive dog breeder. Added to that problem, a new "girl" friend enters Evan's life. She's witty but is on crutches, something to do with one of her legs. It's somewhat awkward on the bus when she joins right in! Not only do Dog (Yes, he really does "Answer to Dog") and Evan help each other, he helps the family, too. Hautman alternates the story-telling, letting both Evan and Dog tell their side of the story, an adventure in love and loss and, yes, also, hope and growing up. It's wonderful to be able to journey along! 

                  

         When you grew up, or perhaps when one of your parents grew up, was there a 'family' table that people treasured, making many memories there, at mealtimes, at big gatherings, or the regular ones? It seems to be what many remember! This book, written by  Wiley Blevins, raised in West Virginia, and Winsome Bingham, who immigrated as a child from Jamaica to the U.S. South, shows the joys and sorrows that happen around one table. For a long time at the table, a coal-mining family sits and eats, dyes Easter eggs, sews, and laughs, living their lives. Though they aren't rich with money, they are rich with love. Then, coal mines begin to close, and still, the bills arrive. The family must leave their home–and the table. 

         Later, a second family, driving home, spot a table (see that cover!). The father is a carpenter, brakes fast, and jumps out to examine it, sees that it's a unique piece of wood, well made. The memories begin again, as you can imagine, and one child wonders if sometimes, in the past, another child sat at the table. The table remembers! And Jason Griffin's illustrations show this history with loving expression. There are very personal letters from the authors and Griffin at the end. 

        What a wonderful thing it could be to have students write of personal memories at their tables! My brother uses our grandmother's beautiful round oak table, and he and I, along with our cousins, all have memories of sitting there for holidays or summer visits, doing projects! 

        Lives may vary, but no matter those differences, there is much that is similar within all of us, the love in families, sharing the time together, often around a table! 

 

         I love every book written by Atinuke, and now she and Angela Brooksbank collaborate again as they did on B Is For Baby and other "Baby" books. Here, Atinuke

takes us on a day's journey with a family, father, mother, four children, one a baby, on their way to the city, "L is for Lagos"! They come from a rural area, see "Lazy Lions", and a "Lonely Leopard", are "Lucky" to catch a bus after walking a while. Oh, my, the people and the jungle, then comes the city, which is "Large" and "Loud" as they "Listen". The story, with not many words, is told cleverly, weaving the appropriate "L" words in to tell about this exciting day, as Angela Brooksbank's lushly colored illustrations fill the pages with people and nature and city crowds surrounded by "large" buildings. One double-page spread is one where I Looked and Looked, a market with people selling and preparing and eating. And, the story, the "Last" (my "L" word) message is no matter where, "L is for Love"! 

        On a personal note, I also love the book because L is also for "Linda", my name! 

       It's a re-read, yet I'd forgotten most of it! This is the book that is said to have lifted Agatha Christie into the realm of "best" mystery writer, at least during her time. It also was criticized for breaking the rules of mysteries. You'll see. It's a curious story that will shock!

       Happy Reading! 

Poetry Friday - Fill Them Up

         It's Poetry Friday, and Mary Lee Hahn is hosting HERE at A(nother) Year of Reading.  Until you read her poem, you haven't seen anything, yet! Thanks for hosting, Mary Lee!

        I hope your holiday times have been filled with loving memories! Happy New Year!

  

            My family and I had a lovely holiday, and now it's a new year, when I am most often excited about what that will bring. However, when hearing news of yesterday's horrific tragedy in New Orleans, I am saddened by this beginning, sorry most for those whose loved ones were killed, sorry for those injured, for those who are witnesses, sad for those who now must take care of all of it to investigate, to assess what went terribly wrong. You all know some of those will miss any sort of calmness these coming weeks, maybe all the year. I am sad for everyone who had to hear this news. 

            I tried to write about it and it felt somehow that I was pre-empting those who were there and most affected. So, I have a box full of words, went to it, wanting to write something to start 2025. It's one of those prompts that one rarely knows what will emerge, but I had fun with it, a kind of day-dreaming about the subject. I'm sure that "THEY" will hold dreams for good times in 2025, too! You'll see!

                                                     Pet Bowl Stock photos by Vecteezy

Bowls-Defined

 

Bowls full-fill our lives,

 

Emptied by the hungry:

             Soup-slurpers

             Cereal-crunchers

             Tea-tasters,

Used by the organizers:

            Key-keepers

            Coin-savers

            Shell-collectors

Savored by the cooks:

           Sugar-sweeteners

           Cake-mixers

           Salt-pinchers

Chomped by the pets:

          Dog-lappers

          Fish-swimmers

          Cat-munchers

Created by the artists

         Wheel-turners

         Clay-bakers

         Pine needle weavers

Variety is the spice of life

         and bowls.

           Linda Baie ©

Monday Reading - All Kinds of Holiday Gift Ideas!

         

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow!

     However you celebrate, I wish everyone a Happy Holiday with family and friends. This is going to be a busy week, but at the end, my son and family will be here. It will be great to see them, and then celebrate Christmas together, along with my daughter and family who live here. Have a great week everyone!

          It's a debut young adult speculative fiction novel, which is terrific! Rachel Byrne happens to be a parent of a former student of mine, and I am grateful that she gave me a copy! Because she is a mom, I imagine she knows some of what it's like for kids to feel somewhat outside the group, never fitting in. Not that her own children experienced this. I don't know that. But as a mom, she does understand kids growing up with all kinds of feelings about self, which she shows so beautifully in this book! 

          In Predestined, the story that is told to us by Catalina, called Lina, sixteen, about her days filled with conflict, some with her parents or at school, though it's clear she loves her parents and her younger sister, Emma Claire. Although the outcome means a lot of trouble, being grounded at home or suspended at school, often the acts Lina does are for good reasons. She's alone in a sea of upset!

         And that is how Rachel Byrne lets us readers begin to know this new young woman, and the final conflict she loses is a surprising and intriguing invitation to spend her summer at an exclusive academy nestled in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Haverford Pines. Lina was counting on a summer job at the local rec center, doing a lot at the climbing wall, but she finally gives in, and off she goes to a summer she doesn't want, yet one that gives her more than we readers will ever imagine! Just wait until you see!

         This school has a history of educating many famous people, both the good and the bad, and its prime purpose is to help those just starting to find their own, special, purpose and train in all ways to perfect it! Lina bonds surprisingly with her roommate, Brittany, an aspiring model, and as the days' extraordinary, often not so fair, challenges increase, Lina finds other friends who help, encourage, and as teens say, "have her back"! Along with Gabi, Charles, Hayden, and Eric, mysterious information about the school's history is discovered. The activities seems to find Lina especially singled out in harmful ways by others who have hopes she will leave or be kicked out. She fights back, but some of those who are in charge appear to support those who've become her enemies. The mysteries and challenging rules continue; Lina and her friends keep questioning and helping each other!

           The action becomes one for breath-holding as I watch Lina and the other strong characters add to both hope for some and disgust for others. As I did, I'm sure other readers will continue to ask, "What in the world is going on?" 

         I enjoyed the story very much, and cannot help but wonder, maybe hope, that we'll see these kids a little older and wiser, but ready to tackle still another challenge. The story may not be quite over yet!

         Thanks for an amazing book, Rachel!

      Note: I shared for Poetry Friday last week, too! It's not a book of poetry, yet the story is so poetic, I wanted to make each of you aware of it if you haven't seen it yet. James Norbury offers a story of sacrifice and friendship. It's an adventure with young dog Amaya who is searching for her parents and is nearly destroyed by a wolf pack until its leader saves her. They go on a journey to find her family, and along the way, the words they, really James Norbury, show us life lessons of friendship, taking a path that may only seem to be the way, and not giving up caring for the feelings of each other, whether it's worry or grief. That moon is their touchstone, and Norbury's illustrations are stunning as the wolf and Amaya travel together. I say it's a love song for humans in such disarray this year. 

      And, I can never resist a book about the moon!

     As part of being a U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón wrote this poem that will travel into space on NASA's Europa Clipper, heading to Jupiter. The poem will be engraved on the ship. Her words show what it might be like to go outside our world, to explore and ponder. Peter Sis has illustrated with extraordinary imaginative art, showing and imagining human connections with other animals, the sky, water. It's Limón's debut picture book, which will make a marvelous gift for those you know who love poetry and the pictures from the words that have been created by a wonderful artist! 

         Thanks to Candlewick Press for the following books, except at the older ones at the end!

      For the littlest child, a lover of trucks, what could be more fun than to learn about twenty of them. All in rhyme and in bright, bright colors, kids will see a variety of trucks who help. And what do they help? They're part of the story of finally getting the wonderful town Christmas tree displayed! All the expected players are there, including a snowman, a holiday band, kids playing in the snow, and Santa! There's a funny ending, too, to solve a problem! 

These two ahead are great ideas for gifts! 

          Remember the stories about Dasher by Matt Tavares? Here is a gorgeous boxed set, just perfect for a child on your gift list! 

           Ruffles loves those kittens and so many more things, like scratching and eating, digging and sleeping, BUT! In this story, David Melling shows us in fun illustrations of Ruffles' life with kittens that there are problems, this time with "snow"! What he does outside and inside makes a lovely animal story to read with a group or with one child "inside"! It was first published by Nosy Crow Ltd. in the UK! 

          Aaron Becker creates with new ideas for looking on every page. This time, in a brief poem with soft color-washed illustrations, he brings us to look more closely at what IS 'Winter Light'. There are crystals and sunlight through trees, candles and glowing embers in a fireplace! Sit with a young one and enjoy, perhaps finding other kinds seen, too!

     A shout-out to two favorite, older holiday books, one for Hanukkah and one for Chrismas! I just wanted to share. If they are unfamiliar, find them and enjoy!

Now Reading: Nearly finished with Pete Hautman's Answers to Dog. It's really great!

Poetry Friday - Keeping On

        It's Poetry Friday, and Linda Mitchell is hosting HERE at A Word Edgewise.  Along with her post, I'm using the Poetry Friday art she designed! Be sure to visit Linda to read her mash-ups! (Don't know what they are? Go visit! Thanks for hosting, Linda!

I hope your holiday time has been moving along with delight this year! 

        I wrote of my favorite things, trees, last week, and this week, another favorite thing popped up, a marvelous book about the moon and so much more!

      It's not a book of poetry, yet the story is so poetic, I wanted to make each of you aware of it if you haven't seen it yet. James Norbury offers a story of sacrifice and friendship. It's an adventure with young dog Amaya who is searching for her parents and is nearly destroyed by a wolf pack until its leader saves her. They go on a journey to find her family, and along the way, the words they, really James Norbury, show us life lessons of friendship, taking a path that may only seem to be the way, and not giving up caring for the feelings of each other, whether it's worry or grief. That moon is their touchstone, and Norbury's illustrations are stunning as the wolf and Amaya travel together. I say it's a love song for humans in such disarray this year. 

      And, I can never resist a book about the moon!

early morning moonglow

thoughts of years of moon tales

what stories will you tell?

Linda Baie ©

Monday Reading - Find A Special Book!

        

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow!

           It's the National Book Award winner this year, and oh, so great a story! From the cover: "If Kareen could throw a penalty flag on the fouls of his school and home life, it would be for unnecessary roughness." Yes, for each chapter, Shifa Saltagi Safadi has offered a football definition, bringing the poetry of Kareen's life to football in a verse novel of both sad and happy changes. Even being born in the US isn't enough. Kareen is born to a Syrian family, cruelly called "Cereals" by those who ignore or tease them just because of who he is. He loves football but ends up in a moral dilemma because one enemy, Austin, lures him into doing work for him with a promise to help him get on the team. His father promises that Kareen will help a new refugee get settled into school. His only friend has moved away! More and more pile-ons bring no touchdowns, only penalties. Kareem's actions gain nothing but what football calls "sacks". Safadi shows the hidden emotional tolls of what it is like for kids "between". I loved her honest portrayal and wish it wasn't so true for them. Readers will give Kareem hope all through the story and keep wondering if he will bring a win at the end of this "game" called middle-school life.

       This is a wonderful, full-of-heart, story by Stephanie Ellen Sy, with enticing, colorful illustrations by Daniel Tingcungco. After a stormy night, young Maya looks out her window and sees a roof! The Philippines experience many storms, typhoons, and more. Their homes are easily torn apart, and most put their names and addresses on the roofs so they can be returned! Through this journey, Maya and her father take the rolled-up roof and go on a search for the owners. Along the way, Sy shows the obstacles, and readers see all the people who help them on the way, like a farmer with his carabao (a draft animal) helps clear a blocked path, and fishers take them across a raging river because the road has been swept away. The examples show the gathering of a Bayanihan, which means "being in a community."  A note at the back shares this spirit "when ordinary Filipinos turn into a bayani, someone who does something courageous for their community." This is Maya and her father's story, but I imagine there are many like this in real life, perhaps recently in the wake of the recent hurricanes in Florida and North Carolina! With the note at the back, Tingcungco creates the line of people in this Bayanihan and names them with their English and Filipino names, like "Farmer (Magsasaka) and Shoemaker (Sapatero).  I enjoyed it very much! 

      Bit by bit, Kyle Lukoff shares the journey that young Jack needs to learn when saying "Sorry" to a classmate for pushing down her castle. Simple words in the notes and Julie Kwon's beautifully emotional illustrations bring the classroom to readers as day by day, Jack tries, with his teacher gently guiding him to arrive at the three things that must be written in his apology to succeed! The text is written entirely in notes, simple and powerful words! Watching Jack's expressions while reading his notes tells all that's needed to know! It may be written for young readers, but everyone needs to know these steps for apologies! 

       I did not know this inspiring story of Junko Tabei by debut author Anita Yasuda, and now I'm glad I do and happy to share the book. It's filled with her life, from the early love of climbing to her triumphant accomplishment of being the first woman to conquer Everest. Before, women were denied permits. It wasn't easy; she and her team (the first all-women's team) nearly died from an avalanche on the way up. Thanks to Sherpas, who rescued her! And, she carried on! Anita Yasuda tells Junko's story from beginning to end, with the choices to keep going "Up, Up, Ever Up! in both mountain-climbing and starting other nature-related work. Showing her adventurous spirit in her desire for climbing for women are the fabulous illustrations of Junko who is ever on the move by Yuki Shimizu. She also illustrated The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham, which won a Caldecott Honor. 

         There is a timeline at the back, along with a glossary, source notes, and a bibliography filled with both books about her and about Everest and its climbers. A final note: Junko was also the first woman to conquer all seven summits! (Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Vinson, and Puncak Jaya). It's a terrific biography that will undoubtedly be loved here in the Colorado Rockies! 

         Eighteen poems celebrate these eighteen dogs, written by David Elliott, accompanied by eighteen marvelous illustrations by eighteen different illustrators. Each page is interesting because Elliott adds some extra notes to his poems, and delightful the varied way the illustrators create "their" dogs. Do you know the tallest dog, one bred for hunting rats, or one who never wants to stop working? Those answers and more are in the book! The ending includes "Mutt": "A little this./A little that./A little everything but cat." And bios of the artists with memories of their own special dogs. Endpapers stretch across both pages with "Anatomy of a Dog". It's a gem for pulling out memories as readers laugh along with the humor and enjoy all the facts! 

         I've loved other books by Lesa Cline-Ransome, like Finding Langston, her debut novel, and Before She Was Harriet, another picture book. This time, she's taken the days in the week and placed this young slave doing something both admirable and frightening, helping his people learn to read! It was a forbidden act and punishable by either whippings or sometimes death! In gorgeous warm-feeling illustrations, James E. Ransome illuminates Cline-Ransome's tale of brave people who are working hard to learn, even late at night after a long day at their other work. As you see from the title, they call him Teach (a secret name.) He learned because he grew up as a companion to his master's son, learning what that boy learned. Now, he works at his master's general store, writing receipts, keeping notes, and delivering packages. When he's caught looking at his master's newspaper, he realizes he must care more about what he's seen doing. The rest of the times are his own. Mondays, he's teaching kids at night in a stable, each with a slate he keeps hidden, letter sounds in quiet whispers. Tuesdays find him delivering to his master's cook who has a secret note, asks what it says. He tells her of the words, North, Yankees, soldiers (whispers of a war coming). As he tells her, he also teaches her some of the letters! That's how his days continue, learning and helping people learn. He is Teach! 

       There's an Author's Note and a list of additional books on Resistance at the back. 

Now reading: A YA sci-fi titled Predestined by Rachel Byrne, trying to find time to read has been a challenge this past busy week, but soon, I'll finish! It's quite intriguing so far, about a prestigious private school with scary secrets! And, I just started Pete Hautman's Answers to Dog!