Well, day two was a bust. After school I worked on finishing up the yearbook and finally left the building at 7:00pm! I was so tired I went to bed at 8:30 without reading the bag of books I brought home. I was excited to see Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say in my bag. This is definitely a favorite.

So, today with the yearbook done, I took my bag with the same books and went home at a decent hour, well 4:15. Audrey (my daughter) and I went to our favorite pizza place and while we waited for the pizza I read 6 books. Audrey looked at some and 2 of my 6 I read to her. It was fun to be in a restaurant reading a book out loud (but not too loud!)

I still have some to read but wanted to go a head and make my post so I can read in bed. : ) I’m not very good a book reviews, I’m one of those people who love or hate a book and it’s hard for me to articulate why. But I’m trying to get better. I guess one thing I can say is books I love evoke a feeling. I am a very emotional person (ask anyone I know I can cry or get choked up at the drop of a hat). Of the books I read tonight, Grandfather’s Journey was the best. I love all of Allen Say’s work. The pictures are gorgeous  it’s no wonder it won the Caldecott.  But it’s also the prose that gets me.  The economy of the text, the stillness I feel when reading it.  The way his life echoes his grandfather’s, with the yearning for both countries, (good grief I’m literally tearing up typing this!) it is just so beautiful.  Sigh, it is pure bliss to read his books.

Some of the books I read and when I’m done I’m just “meh, that was okay”.  Again, it’s hard to me to say why and I don’t really want to tell you the titles because I feel like it will hurt the book’s feeling!  But two of them just seemed okay, cute enough stories, cute enough pictures.  But then again my easy section is really, really full so maybe they shouldn’t be taking up valuable shelf space.  One Audrey looked at and she said she liked it but when she saw  Farm-Fresh Cats by Scott Santoro she immediately said “ohhh, read that one to me!”  It was funny and fun to read and she totally loved the idea of the green cats.

I’m signing off to finish up my day three reading.  Tomorrow is a day I have no classes and a parent volunteer so I’m hoping to work my way through some during the school day.  I can’t think of anything better for the students to see than me sitting in the easy section engrossed in a book!

 

Happy Reading!

Okle