MONDAY FUNDAY – October 23, 2017

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date, and adapted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts with a children’s/YA focus. The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. These weekly roundups are a great way to discover new blogs and bloggers, share some of the titles you’ve been enjoying, and add to your ever-growing to-read list.

And we’re back! It’s been a few weeks since I last ventured into the IMWAYR pool, and I’m thrilled to be back sharing great books and adding wonderful titles to my TBR pile. Here are a few books I’ve been reading in the past few weeks.

How it Feels to Be a Boat

Sometimes being a boat is full of adventures and it’s nothing but smooth sailing on the high seas, but sometimes arguing passengers can take you off course. When you run aground, will their teamwork give you the strength to make it through? Offbeat and imaginative, James Kwan gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to not only be a boat, but what it is to be human in both gentle and rough waters.

Perfect for life’s transitions, this book tackles taking on change and indecision with grace, humor, and heart. It’s a reassuring reminder to stay the course through all kinds of stormy weather. Ahoy, ahoy!

What a strange and fascinating little book! I can’t really figure out how to describe this one – it’s a whimsical, creative, unusual, confusing, beautifully illustrated and ultimately deeply hopeful exploration of the human condition. This is absolutely one to share with children individually or in small groups, as it could be a great starting place for some real conversations about what it means to be human. I particularly appreciate that the book doesn’t shy away from addressing life’s difficult times – having been through some very difficult times recently, I understand all too well how hard life be, and sadly even little ones aren’t immune to loss and tragedy. Books that openly talk about life’s ups and downs can help children develop the coping mechanisms they’ll need to weather these storms, and can help them feel less alone by revealing that most lives experiences challenges of some kind or another.

The metaphors might be a bit confusing for young children, but How it Feels to Be a Boat is still well worth taking a look at, even if just to admire the strange and charming illustrations, and it’s always refreshing to discover creators who are willing to let their works be a little strange, a little unusual, even a little confusing, because the more variety we have in our children’s books, the higher the likelihood that there really will be a book out there that’s just perfect for everyone.

Review copy courtesy of Raincoast Books.

Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed

Can one child’s good deed change the world?

It can when she’s Ordinary Mary―an ordinary girl from an ordinary school, on her way to her ordinary house―who stumbles upon ordinary blueberries. When she decides to pick them for her neighbor, Mrs. Bishop, she starts a chain reaction that multiplies around the world. Mrs. Bishop makes blueberry muffins and gives them to her paperboy and four others―one of whom is Mr. Stevens, who then helps five different people with their luggage―one of whom is Maria, who then helps five people―including a man named Joseph who didn’t have enough money for his groceries―and so on, until the deed comes back to Mary.

It’s a feel-good story that inspires and celebrates a world full of ordinary deeds!

When a little girl decides to perform a simple act of kindness, she initiates a cascade of good deeds that ends up impacting more people than she could ever have imagined, before eventually coming around full circle. I love the way the book reinforces the idea that no good deed is ever too small, and that everyone can help make the world a better place in meaningful ways, no matter who they are, or how young they are.  Many of thee acts of kindness displayed throughout the book are accessible, realistic acts that most people could fit somehow into their lives – calling someone to say hi, complementing someone, helping someone pick up their fallen groceries, returning a lost wallet, or teaching someone a new skill. Making a difference doesn’t have to be complicated!

 

I absolutely adore Fumi Kosaka’s charming illustrations, which are saturated in colour, and which are filled with adorable, diverse characters, including a woman in a hijab and a boy in a wheelchair (though most of the characters do still seem to be varying shades of white or beige).

I do wish the text wasn’t quite so long, though. Perhaps it’s because I tend to share picture books with younger children, but the text seemed to drag on at points, and just felt a bit too wordy. I also don’t know how much I loved the ending, in which Mary receives a gift as the result of her initial act of kindness. I can see how it brings the story to an effective conclusion, but I think it might’ve been even more effective if Mary hadn’t received anything in return for her kindness other than a feeling of satisfaction at having done a good deed, or if her final reward had been a big hug, a hand-written thank you note or a new friend, just something that wasn’t material.

I also wasn’t all that keen on the math portion at the end of the book, but that’s probably just me and my number phobia…

Still, it’s a charming story (if a bit wordy), with really sweet illustrations, and we could all use a reminder to share more love and kindness in our communities!

Review copy courtesy of Raincoast Books.

Kisses for Kindergarten

School is about to begin, and Stella Isabella Harden decides that kindergarten just isn’t for her. Instead, she decides to spend the day learning from her puppy named Buster. Together these two adventurers plan a day full of playtime, teatime, nap time, and story time. After every lesson,” Stella gets the best reward: a kiss from her best friend and favorite puppy. But will she change her mind about kindergarten before the first day of school? Join Stella and Buster in this lyrical read-aloud and heartwarming story about growing up.

Story time! When I was in kindergarten, way back in the late ’80s, we only went to school for a half a day, either in the morning or the afternoon, which was meant to ease children into the school routine. I thought it was AMAZING. I loved kindergarten! When grade 1 rolled around, well, let’s just say I wasn’t as much of a fan. School all day? When would I have time to play?!

All this is to say that I can understand Stella Isabella Harden’s reluctance to go to kindergarten all too well, and I didn’t even have a sweet dog to leave behind at home! Kindergarten can be a major adjustment, both for children and their caregivers, so it’s not surprising that there countless picture books on the subject.

In Kisses for Kindergarten, Stella’s parents stay pretty hands-off (in fact you don’t even see their full faces), and Stella comes to her own conclusion about going to school, with Buster’s help. In the end, it’s her desire to learn to read that changes her opinion of kindergarten and gets her excited to go. While this might not be the case for all children (I was reading before kindergarten, and other children might not be reading until after kindergarten), some children are sure to share Stella’s excitement about learning to read in kindie.

The illustrations are definitely eye-catching, and Stella is a boisterous character who charmingly blends pink dresses and fairy wings with sneakers and superhero capes.

Another sweet entry in the “getting ready for  kindergarten” collection.

Review copy courtesy of Raincoast Books.

I hope everyone has a lovely week – the rains are back in full force here in Raincity, and I am counting the days until my next holiday! 😉