Click here to listen to me read this to you!
Hey friend!
Let’s get right into it!
3 kids books
Emma Every Day: The Big Bike by C.L. Reid, illustrated by Elana Aiello
A young girl learns to ride her big bike, even though it’s hard!
This was one of the recent books we got
from Rosemary’s Little Feminist Book Club.
I love them!
It’s a cute chapter book about a deaf girl who gets a big bike
and works hard to be able to ride it.
I love how ASL is interspersed into the text,
the “Meet Emma” page at the beginning,
the talking points at the end,
and it’s a super relatable story.
It’s part of a series,
and we are going to check out the other ones as well.
Practice your finger signing and read a great book!
My Hands by Néjib, translated by Angus Yuen-Killick
What are all the things you can do with your hands?
This one came from a publisher that thought we would like it,
and we do!
Rosemary even put a bookplate with her name on it in the book she liked it so much.
The illustrations are simple, with bold whimsical loose lines
and the text is only the verb/phrase for what the hand or hands are doing.
It’s a great discussion book
and fun to think about what are other things hands can do
that aren’t in the book (though we’ve had a hard time coming up with stuff because the author/illustrator is very thorough!)
Check this one out for fun illustrations and a great discussion.
Looking Out For Sarah by Glenna Lang
Follow Perry’s adventures as a guide dog all day for Sarah.
Another one from The Little Feminist Book Club,
and it’s based on the real Perry and the real Sarah.
We liked that it’s from Perry’s point of view,
that is shows Sarah’s extremely full life,
and it helped us learn about what to do if we encounter a dog on duty.
The Little Feminist Book Club does such a great job
making sure their books showcase lots of different stories;
I don’t think we have too many books with blind main characters,
so I’m glad to add this one to our collection.
Check this one out for a day in the life story that you likely haven’t read before.
2 books I’ve read:
Hooky 1, 2, and 3 by Míriam Bonastre Tur
Twin witches develop their powers, become entangled in a war against non-witches, gain new friends, and deal with curses and troublesome family members over this three book series.
I got the first in this series from a used bookstore because the cover looked fun, and honestly I had no idea it was a series until I got to the end of the book! It’s based off of a webtoon comic, and the entire series is really really fun.
The last one came out last week and I was able to get the 2nd and 3rd on Buy A Book Day (did you know that was a day because I didn’t, but when we found out we went in a hurry to our nearest bookstore to buy books!), September 7th.
The last book takes place three years after the first two,
so it’s really cool seeing the characters grow up.
I love the relationship between the siblings, the friend groups, the good versus evil that also leaves room for lots of gray, and the redemption arc for one character in particular in the family. It’s a very bingeable series, and perfect for the upcoming spooky season!
Get the entire series and have a cozy read hanging out with their coven.
Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell
A group of eighth graders get involved with their community
in deciding if a racist mascot should stay or change.
I got this one from the bookseller conference I went to,
and it just came out.
I think it’s especially important for people who live around areas that have Indigenous mascots, but really for anyone to read to understand why people want the mascot to stay and why others want it to go.
This novel in verse is told through the POV of six different kids.
At the start of the story, some of them want the mascot to stay the same, and some don’t. At the end of the story, some change their mind, and some don’t.
I really liked how we got so many perspectives on the same story.
I also liked how some characters tried to help but hurt the situation, others change their mind for the better, and still others couldn’t see what was wrong with the mascot even after tons of information was given to them. I felt like that unfortunately reflected real life in some cases.
A quick read and an important one to discuss appropriation and how young people can make a difference.
1 more thing:
It’s election season here in VA,
and that means doing a lot of Back to School Nights (handing out literature about elections and candidates), postcards (to get out the vote), canvassing (to talk to people about candidates), and more.
We’re lucky? that we vote every year.
A lot of people are watching Virginia and Loudoun County in particular. I’ve heard if our Governor helps the Republicans take back the State Senate (they have a narrow majority in the House), they are not only going to undo the legislation that has kept us a great state to live in, they are also going to push through some horrible stuff, including an abortion ban, and he may consider running for president.
I’m doing things everyday to make sure that doesn’t happen,
and I wanted to let you know that if you want to help,
Vote Forward has letter writing campaigns for Virginia
that you can join from anywhere!
These campaigns—which focus on encouraging turnout through sharing messages about reproductive freedom, climate change, and gun violence prevention—are different from other Vote Forward campaigns. They’re also non-partisan and require you to use non-partisan language. They are mainly trying to get out the vote and to inform people about the issues.
Check out Vote Forward here if you have any time to help write letters.
If not, that’s cool too! Just putting it out there if you want to help.
Oh and another thing I’ve done for a political campaign?
Photoshoots with candidates.
One turned into this piece of mail we got today!
and…GO!
What’s the best piece of mail you’ve received lately? I’ll go first in the comments below!
See you there
and happy reading until next week,
Kathy Ellen
Admittedly getting my face in the mail has been pretty cool. Before that, I'd say a Wegmans advertisement because it had some recipes that we thought were cool. What can I say Danny and I are just two adults who do NOT want to have to make decisions about dinner any more, and are resorting to making and eating the same things all the time. So seeing those recipes and actually being interested in trying them was a big deal. Yes, this is the life we lead.