For those of you who have returned, or will be returning Monday or Tuesday, hope the year has continued beautifully! It's been a busy week for me, lots of time spent doing other things, finishing up the holiday "stuff" and reading the finalists for the Poetry category of the Cybils. It's a pleasure but takes time to read and make notes, etc.It was great fun to read everyone's #MustReadIn2018 lists last week, and to see how must they'd accomplished from their #MustReadIn2017 lists.
Here's my reading for this week:
Many people remind us to “look for the helpers”, most especially after a disaster, but sometimes one child’s life is a “disaster” and she or he needs all the helpers possible. This is the life of Rydr who’s on a journey to live with a great uncle in Chicago, someone she’s never known. Her mother died of a drug overdose and the ‘Gramma’ she’s lived with for two years, who didn’t like her very much, has also died now and social services has finally found one family member who will take her in. We don’t know how that will be, all Paul Mosier has given us is the story of Rydr on the train from Arizona to Chicago. Slowly, Rydr finds her helpers. There is Dorothea, the person “in charge” of this Amtrak child rider; Neal, the young man in charge of the snack bar; Carlos, a writer who also rides this train, making notes in a journal; and Tenderchunks, nickname of a Scout traveling with his troop, but more in love with poetry than building fires. Sound interesting? With top layers revealed, Rydr slowly digs into her own past and discovers these other ‘helpers’ who not only help her, she finds that she has something to offer them, too. It’s a beautifully loving story that shows both the highs and lows of love and loss, and makes one want to shout “hurrah” for those who step forward to help. Don’t miss this book!
Thanks to Candlewick Press for the ARC of this book, just out this month. Poor Bug, he struggles to keep his mouth shut, and his actions to remain only thoughts. I know kids will giggle when the jokes are on Benjamin (really known as Bug) and also on his “Don’t List”. Cartoon-like illustrations show the humor too with exaggerated expressions on everyone.
I’ve found another wonderful bear book, and Sean Taylor has written this darling story of two children who build a snowman. However, when their mother comes to look, she says it looks more like a bear and warns the children to be careful on the big hill because it’s very steep and slick. Well, the children take the sled down with much whooping and hollering, but when they try to get up the hill they cannot. That’s when the magic begins. That cute and large snowbear becomes a real bear and comes to save them. The rest of the story is one for smiles, and the snowy pictures illustrated by Claire Alexander show the excitement that happens when outside in a snowy landscape.