It's Monday! Three to Meet

              Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with others who post their favorites.  Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading!
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           It's been quite a busy week, having so little time to read made me miss it more than usual. But I am managing to share three books I enjoyed, in very different ways!

        Thanks to the author, Artie Bennett, for sending me a copy of this, his latest book. Artie used a storybook voice to tell us Zippy's story, a story I've never heard, but evidently, thousands of racehorse enthusiasts and those in the racing business have. He has a circle of fans all his own! By the way, Zippy Chippy is his real name, his claim to fame, but in reality, "zippy" does not exactly fit his record. He is a thoroughbred, is (was) destined to win, but in 100 races, he did not. In fact, sometimes he didn't even finish! And sometimes he didn't even start. He was a trickster, grabbed hats from some who passed by, returned them chewed. One page shows him stopping during a race at Belmont when he seemed to enjoy good smells in the air. Finally, the first owners gave up and Felix, a trainer from Puerto Rico, traded his old truck for Zippy. 

        As I read this further story, I saw Zippy becoming an escape artist, figuring out how to get out of his stall. I learned that he bit trainers and bucked riders off. But, finally, he became part of the family, played hide and seek with Felix's daughter. We don't really know what animals are thinking, but this horse clearly is unique, wants the joys in life that he chooses, not that others choose for him. In a letter from Artie at the back of the book, he shares that Zippy is now in a retirement facility for former racehorses, receives more visitors than any others there. Fans buy cups and t-shirts and take selfies. He's earning more than he ever did racing. He is the horse that some called a 'running joke', but the slogan on the shirts reads "Winners Don't Always Finish First". Living one's life the way one chooses might be a lesson here, and it would be interesting to read this aloud for a lively discussion. Dave Szalay's illustrations fill the pages with Zippy's antics and expressions, help the story show this unique horse. He never stood in a winner's circle, but he is a winner! 

        Here are a couple of favorite pictures of Zippy's intriguing personality.

          I know about Frederick Douglass, but in this new book, David F. Walker, Damon Smyth, and Marissa Louise bring him to life in a new way so that we readers can really see in their graphic narrative. Walker has done the research, writes about letting Douglass tell his own story, though he also notes that nearly all the words are not direct quotes, but Walker's own creations from deep research. The opening pages introduce people who played a part in Douglass' life, like family members and President Lincoln. In certain parts of the book, there are longer text passages that explain certain things in more detail, like a summary of the Civil War. It's a wonderful book I chose for Black History month and just finished yesterday! This touches so very much of our history, parts of which deserve further reading. For example, much of Douglass's later life intertwines with the women's suffrage movement as he works tirelessly against slavery. At the back, you'll find a source list, an index, acknowledgments from all three who created this together and, in his dedication, a list of Walker's ancestors' names who were slaves.

#3 finished from my #MustReadin2020 list!

            Standing up to power means having a strong voice that some students, girls and boys, don't always have. This story shows the strength that comes to Mila, a seventh-grader who is being sexually harassed by a group of boys, struggling to tell an adult and then when she does, told to 'ignore'. Even good friends' interpretations aren't helpful. Added to that pressure, Mila has a bothersome little sister, a mom who is worrying about work, and an absent father. Without giving more details, the key to help from Barbara Dee's poignant story of Mila, and from Mila, is to find a person who actually listens and finds a way for everyone else to listen, too. I am sorry I have not read this sooner, have had it since it came out, but now that I've read Chirp by Kate Messner, I know that each book deserves a place in everyone's list, teachers and students, boys and girls. 

Now reading: I didn't manage to start Manañaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan, but this time it's first up!

              Happy Reading and March on! As I write, it's snowing, but warming is again coming this week!