#SOL16-14/31 - My Recent Reading Life

SOLC #14/31 - 

      I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community for Day Fourteen of Thirty-One of the Slice of Life Challenge in March.  Thank you Stacey, Tara, Anna, Betsy, Dana, Kathleen, Beth, and Deb.  

And-   Visit Jen at Teach MentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who link up.   

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Elisabeth Ellington who blogs at The Dirigible Plum is the winner of my Rafflecopter Giveaway on last Monday's post. She won Irene Latham's book, When The Sun Shines On Antarctica-And Other Poems About The Frozen Continent. Congratulations, Elisabeth.

         I share books I've read each week. I make lists of books I want to order from the library, or own. And I read, read, read. Some I read to my granddaughters, 4 and 6, some I read to celebrate a favorite author or illustrator's new book, and some I read because besides writing, reading is my other passion. Here are the latest books I'd like to share, ones that I think are important to know.

I am trying to read more and more books from different perspectives. That includes stories of people I've never heard of who have accomplished important things, great picture books that have underlying messages for good living, and Middle Grade or Young Adult books that will help early and late adolescents learn about themselves and others.

The first, a book from my #ToReadin2016 list, where some of us have come together to read and share those books we've put off far too long. See my list above and Carrie Gelson's explanation of our group.

              The hard life of those soddy dwellers is shown well in this story of a girl who's been sent to another family to help out so that her family can have some extra money. That was the need, and it evidently was the plight of many young girls. This particular young girl also has dyslexia, wants so much to read well, and struggles. It doesn't help that her memories are full of a cruel teacher who calls her stupid and lazy, incapable of much learning. The larger story is that she is abandoned in the soddy where she's gone to work, and must care for herself for months, moving closer and closer to starvation. It's enlightening to see the work that must be done on the prairie, the endless stoking of the fire and bringing in water, hoping that the roof won't collapse during a big rainstorm. There is much to enjoy listening to this young girl's experiences, wondering if any of us could survive such a time. I think it would be a good read aloud, sparking great conversations about hope and resilience.

              I've read many picture books recently, and you can find my review on Goodreads, but today only sharing those that touch us through learning about diverse cultures. Perspective from others is something I'm trying to search for in a variety of ways lately.

One page from Caribou Song

This is a beautiful and magical story of two boys who live with their parents in the far north, and follow the caribou, an important part of their survival. In this story, the boys play music to call the caribou, and what happens is more than they expected. The art, according to the book bios is reflective of the harmony of Dene peoples. I would say it seems like woodcuts. The pictures of the action create frames which sit on various dream-like backgrounds. They are beautiful. The other beauty of the book is that the story is told in both Cree and English. I would imagine this is not done often, and will be welcomed by Cree readers everywhere, especially the children.

I would be delighted to read this book aloud, or even better, say the words as a rap. That's the text, filled with the happiest of illustrations that introduce Mike, a biracial young boy who almost skips through the book showing he's happy with who he is. There are pictures of his parents, his friends, at school and outside, all fun. He says: "There are so many flavors to savor and taste! Why pick only one color or face? Why pick one race?" There are created box drinks with names like "Mixed Marvel" and "Blended Joy". It's a good story for every kind of child to enjoy. Here's an interesting article about the use of the word "biracial" versus "multi-racial", connecting to Taye Diggs' reasons for writing this book for his son.

Currently reading: Burn, Baby, Burn - by Meg Medina

          Recently out, I have the privilege of reading this from NetGalley. So far, I am amazed at the underlying tension in this story of a Latino teen, her brother and her friends. I either think I can't read any more, or I can't stop. It's a story that touches through watching the toughness of someone who has so little, but works hard to do the right thing.