My reading wasn't very kidlit-centric this week. I'm currently taking an American lit class that is naturally taking up a lot of my reading time so this is what I finished reading:
Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
While the concept of this book is interesting -- what would it be like if there was a country full of nothing but women -- it was poorly executed. It was all telling and no showing, and also incredibly didactic. There was no subtlety or complexity to the narrative. I remember when I was in high school I used to complain about metaphors and hidden meanings. Why don't authors just come out and say what they mean? Well, after reading a book where the author pretty much did nothing but say what she means, I can now see THAT'S BORING! Add some complexity and nuance to the narrative for goodness sake! I certainly would have abandoned this book had it not been required reading for a class.
Picture book that really stood out to me last week:
Here I Am, story by Patti Kim, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez
A young child moves from his own country to New York City, still clinging to a seed that reminds him of home. When he loses the seed out his window, suddenly, he begins exploring his neighborhood in search of what he lost, eventually finding a new friend. What a beautiful, wordless message of being open to the wonder and beauty around you, even when it's new and difficult to understand. As Patti Kim asks in the author's note at the end of the book: What happens to us when we forget to be afraid?
Currently (still) reading:
Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
Currently (still) listening:
Dark Life by Kat Falls
Here I Am is beautiful indeed but a tough sell at work unless we get an educator wanting books about diversity or an art student who likes strong children's picture book illustrations.
ReplyDeleteI read Here I Am when it was still on Net Galley. It is quite a remarkable book. I liked how the illustrations told the story tremendously-it is a good analogy story. I really want to add this book to my wordless picture book collection.
ReplyDeleteI've been intrigued by this PB Here I am and now I really want to read it! I'm pretty sure I will love it. Hope you are enjoying Endangered - that title really got under my skin. Found myself recommending it to many.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by Here I Am - and am definitely going to get this one for our library collection. I can see so many themes that you could use it for in a classroom. Also the fact that it's wordless lends itself to helping students learn to infer. Thanks for sharing. Hoping the next book you have to read for your class is a little better than Herland! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteShall look forward to your thoughts on Dark Life... just love audiobooks, been my main reading productive mode lately...
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of Here I am. It sounds like a great book to have in my collection because I sometimes get children from different countries. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Endangered and just ordered Threatened from the Scholastic book order. Here I Am looks really good!
ReplyDeleteHere I Am sounds powerful - this would be a wonderful book to share with my sixth graders for writing and discussion.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't gotten to Endangered, but I am currently listening to Half Brother, which is about a chimp. Maybe I will be inspired to continue my primate reading! Have a great week! ~Megan
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And just when I felt so committed to my intention NOT to purchase any more books for awhile, you share Here I Am, which looks like one I really MUST buy! I am pretty sure I read Herland in college, but I don't remember it at all. Several of my students in Adolescent Lit just read Gilman's "Yellow Wallpaper" a couple of weeks ago in American Lit. I remember being disturbed by that when I read it.
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting to read Endangered but have not gotten to it yet. May need to move it up on my list. I also have a copy of Half Brother that was mentioned by rockyriverteenlibrarian. I started that one but lost interested or time. May have to go back to it and see what I think now.
ReplyDeleteAhhh! Herland sounds like a horror book ;) There are many, many women in my life that I adore, but let's face it, women can also be the scariest of creatures! Safer to even it out with some men!
ReplyDeleteI also loved Endangered, and wished I had older students after reading it, so I could share it and see kid reactions. Have a great week!
Here I Am looks sweet. I have been wanting to read Endangered, but just haven't yet. Maybe this year.
ReplyDeleteHi there Beth, we still don't have Patti Kim's "Here I am" here in Singapore, but I'd definitely recommend it to librarians for purchase. Interesting take on herland, I haven't read it myself, but after reading your review, I doubt I'd get into it anytime soon. Enjoy your lit class! :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading Dark Life! I'm not sure how listening to it would be, but when I read it, I especially liked the creepy scenes at the end. I just got another one of Kat Falls' books because she's a great author.
ReplyDeleteHere I Am sounds really wonderful. I love wordless picture books. I will look up your current reads to see what they are about.
ReplyDeleteMary-andering Among the Pages