The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock Bill Peet

from goodreads

2.5 stars

Man it is blustery out there today. School buses in the country around us were all canceled. Unfortunately, living in the city, I still had to brave the elements to get my kiddies to school. Thank goodness for my chariot stroller. That thing goes through snow like a hot knife goes through butter. We are on our sixth winter with it and it is still in amazing shape. I love it.

Synopsis

Prewitt Peacock does not have the nicest of tails. One day his tail decides to grow and become wild. The other peacocks have a problem with that and give him an ultimatum. Either the tail goes or Prewitt does.

My Thoughts'

This was an alright book. But it was kinda weird. It has a great message of "be proud of who you are and looks don't matter", but it was still strange. The dream sequence kinda freaked me out.

I picked this book up because of the author. Bill Peet worked for Disney and was part of the story development and animation process for many films. His movies are among my favourites. The drawings are classic Bill Peet. I could almost see them in animation form. The story to me just felt lacking. It was okay but for me it just didn't have that special quality about it.

My kids liked the book well enough but, they were not asking for it to be read again and again. So, in my view that means it was a sort of a meh book for them too.

If you do decide to pick up this book, I would say you would be enjoy the illustrations and the nostalgia of Bill Peet.

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

from goodreads

4 stars

It's snowing!!! My middle daughter looked out the window this morning and saw the snow falling down and exclaimed, "It's the first day of winter!" I then proceeded to explain, as I have done on previous occasions, that although the weather outside might depict a certain season, it doesn't mean it is that season. There is often overlap between the weather and the seasons, usually with snow starting in fall and continuing on into spring.

That still did not deter her excitement. She is ready for the snow. I just wished it has stayed warm for two more days, as tonight we have a school function where there are going to be food trucks. It would have been nicer to stand in line without doing the shiver dance. Oh well. I don't have to cook dinner tonight so bring it on.

Synopsis

Thomas King depicts "White" and "Indian" relations in North America. He mainly focuses on Native People's lives from the time the white man settled to now, he does go into pre-colonial histories. He looks at the good and bad in these relationships and gives his hopes for the future.

My Thoughts

This was the winner of the Waterloo Reads competition held in October.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me laugh, it made me feel sad, it made me feel like he was just getting started and that there is so much more that could be said. I loved his writing style. He made it easy to read and it did not read like a history text, which it definitely is not. These are his own views mixed with historical research. It is written with a bias, but it is his, it is his story so if course there will be a personal bias and slant to it. This bias does not change the fact that I think this is a must read for everyone, especially those living in Canada and the United States.

There were times where I felt he went on a bit too much. In the second half it seemed like it was one bad thing after another. Surely there must have been something good, but then again, maybe not. I like how he doesn't really put blame on "white" culture as a whole. There are things that are done in the past, in every country around the world, that does not shed the best light on those people, but it does not a bad people or person make.

While this book doesn't give answers to everything it is a great book to get the conversation started on aboriginal people and the dual worlds they live in. Because of this book I am beginning to understand the treaties a bit more, understand their view of land and property/land claims a bit more, and their view of their own sovereignty a bit more.

A few complaints that I have heard from other sources is that he concentrates sole on the massacres that whites inflicted on the Native population. They feel that he should have talked about how the Iroquois decimated the Hurons and other massacres that Natives did on their own people before settlers arrived. I think a mention of these might have been good too, but the whole point of the book was really to look at the relationship between the white government and the Native people and the problems that are arising because of it and need to be resolved in the future. Those past native on native massacres, while fleshing out the narrative, don't explain how the relationships between Natives and whites will be changed and helped for the better.

I highly recommend this book. As with everything read it with a grain of salt. And whether you like or agree with his musings or not, it is a great book to promote discussion and thought.

Queen Victoria's Knickers by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

from goodreads

3.5 stars

Today in Canada it is Remembrance Day. A day of remembrance and reflection. This is when we think of those who fought in wars to garner our freedom.

My oldest daughter and I were talking about it this morning and she said she was sad. I asked her why. She said because of the soldiers and stuff. This got me thinking, for while I think Remembrance day is one a day to be somber and solemn, I don't feel the need to be sad. Do I think that there were lives wasted, you betcha, especially when thinking of the First World War. To me it was stupidity and waste personified. Do I wish that the atrocities that happened and still happen didn't. Sure do. But I do not feel sad about it, sorry that it happened, but not weepy sad. It just gives me a greater resolve to raise children to be kind, loving and accepting. It gives me a greater resolve to be kind and generous myself.

So on this somber day of remembrance, let us reflect on how we want to live our lives in light of the sacrifices of others. Conflicts will be a norm in human history, but how we decide to lead our individual lives, that is where true victory lies.

Synopsis

This is the tale of the background of how Queen Victoria got her first pair of underwear.

My Thoughts

To me this is the weirdest story. It is cool to go in the history of underwear. Underwear is something that I think we all take for granted now. We probably don't even think about there ever being a time when underwear was non-existent. I love the what the grandmother said when she found out that the Queen wanted the mother to make her knickers. She said, "I don't approve of knickers. If a girl wears proper petticoats and takes ladylike steps she doesn't need knickers." Hilarious.

My kids like this book. I think anything that deals with underwear is going to be a hit with kids. I don't know what it is about underwear but it puts my kids, and I would wager most kids, into a fit of giggles. My kids really liked when the family was envisioning all the different kids of underwear they could make for the Queen. I like the ones with the bows and arrows.

To me, this book was just weird. When I read children's picture books it is hard for me to pinpoint exactly what I am looking for. To me there is no set formula of what a book needs for me to like it, but I can also tell when I don't like it and, again, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what I don't like. I just feel it my bones. This book, while I think great for kids, just does not fill me with enthusiasm when I read it and I groan a little inside when my kids bring it to me to read. But read it I do and I try my best to hide my displeasure. (Though, on occasion, I have faked business and asked them to get their father to read it to them instead. I know, I'm bad.)

So if you ever wondered about royal underwear of days of yore, this book might just be for you.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

from goodreads

4 stars

Oh November. You may be the month of leafless trees and dreary gray skies, but you are also a month of hope. Hope? you may ask. Well, yes. You see November is when American Thanksgiving is, and that means new kids movies coming out for the holiday season. Which means, perhaps if I'm lucky, I will no longer have to listen to "Let It Go" on a daily basis. Perhaps we will move onto the next greatest thing.

Now I like "Let It Go" as much as the next person, but when my 20 month old hunts the house for the ipad and then says "wet i go" over and over. Gak! I am able to convince her that Winnie the Pooh is sometimes an okay thing, but inevitably "Let It Go" is played. Luckily there are so many versions on youTube we can get some variety. But the hope remains. So, please film makers. Make something that will trump this song, for all our sakes.

Synopsis

(My own synopsis would not do this book justice so I will take the synopsis from goodreads.) Set in the rich farmland of California's Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Here Steinbeck created some of his most  memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love; and the murderous consequences of love's absence.

My Thoughts

I had no preconceived notions going into this book. I have never read Steinbeck before and didn't know anything about this book. To sum it up in one word I would have to say epic. This was a huge book. It covered a lot of years and locations.

We got to see Adam Trask from the beginning of his life to near his end. And while the the book sort of revolved around him, I wouldn't consider him to be the central character. It seemed the book was more of a cast of characters and each played his/her role in creating the society.

At times I found it a bit confusing. All these people seemed to be philosophers and understood these hidden meanings or never fully explained what they were trying to say. It got a bit frustrating during those parts and I was like, "just get on with it!"

Also, at the beginning of some of the chapters Steinbeck talks about his own family's history, this does not always line up with the current time/era that the story is in and made it a bit awkward. I was always trying to figure out how it tied in to where the story was, and quite often, it didn't.

I love the characters of Sam Hamilton and Lee. I would love to spend the afternoon with them and eat some tarts.

All in all, it was an enjoyable story. I had to read the large print version as the others were out at the library so my hands fell asleep a few times, but it was worth it. It gives you something to think about. The pictures Steinbeck is able to put in the readers mind are breathtaking.  This is one of those books that is about everything and nothing all at the same time which makes it the classic it is and will remain. It truly is timeless.

One Watermelon Seed by Celia Barker Lottridge Illustrated by Karen Patkau

from goodreads

3.5 stars

After a sugar high weekend my girls have firmly shifted their focus to "the Christmas List". They are dutifully writing or drawing everything that their little hearts desire. I fear there will be some disappointed little kiddies Christmas when they do not have all the twenty billion things on the list. Oh well, thems the brakes.

I have finally sorted out everything that I want to do for the cousins for Christmas. Now I just have to make it. As for my own kids. I don't want to get them anything. Isn't that horrible? I think I have reached my threshold of toys and clothes and craft stuff. I totally get where the Grinch was coming from. It's a good thing my husband is soft-hearted. I'm sure he will get them something lovely.

Synopsis

Max and Josephine plant a garden. They get to see their plants grow and enjoy a bountiful harvest. Plant and count along with them.

My Thoughts

While there is not much of a story this was a neat book. The illustrations are fresh and made me think of spring and summer. The book invites the children to count without it seeming predictable. My kids are already planning what we are going to plant in our garden next year and are asking for the seeds as part of their Christmas list. So, in that regard, this book is great for getting kids to get excited about gardening and producing their own food.

I like how at the end they show the inside of each food. I also like how they have a bit of an eye spy finding game at the end as well. It helps the kids learn more about food as well as the whole ecosystem of a garden.

While reading it there was one thing that super bugged me. Okay, maybe two. It was the harvest yields and timing. The way the book goes they are picking strawberries the same time as pumpkins etc. Fruit and vegetables have different growing seasons here people! Hello! I know the point of the book is to count and to help kids get excited about gardens and it would be hard to talk about different harvest times of the fruits and vegetables. I know it's not the biggest deal. At the same time I don't want my kids to think they are going to get watermelons in October.

The second thing was the yield amounts. Some of them seemed a bit off for the number of seedlings planted. Yes, yes, I know it is a kids book and they are teaching about math and counting. I know. I know. But still. It bothered me.

Now that I have the rants out of me. I still liked this book. I like it mostly for the catalyst it provided for my children's imaginations than for the the story or factual accounts of gardening. So read this book, and dream about next years harvest.

The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman

from goodreads

2 stars

Well, the weather forecast says that we have snow coming in our future. I don't really believe it, though, it most probably is true. With the cold winter of last year and our cool summer, it seems impossible that winter could already be starting again. To quote on of my friends, "I'm still waiting for summer".

Oh well, at least with the cold weather we get to bundle up in our sweaters, have mugs of hot tea or chocolate and hibernate with our reading list stacked beside us. Here's hoping for a milder winter. Bring on the snow.

Synopsis

Strange things always happen around Jackson Opus. Superstar athletes stop being good. Doctors act like monkeys. Girls actually notice him. When he realizes he is actually a hypnotist he learns how to use and harness his powers. But others with less pure intents take notice too.

My Thoughts

I love Gordon Korman. The MacDonald Hall series made me laugh and I love his book I Want to Go Home. I still remember my mom passing the book back and forth because we couldn't get through a section we were laughing so hard.

This book, not quite as good. I read it because the second book in the series just came out and it looked interesting but I thought I should read the first book first. It starts off really good and in usual Gordon Korman fashion you are hooked. The chapters were exciting and interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Then, the rest of the book happened. I don't know what it was. Perhaps, how naive Jackson was, but I found myself just not caring. I didn't care for the characters, or what happened to them. By the end I was skimming just to get to the end faster. I only kept reading, one, because I hoped it would get better (it didn't), and two, I wanted to see if the "bad guy" was able to get found out at all.

I may have felt annoyance at the characters because I am an adult reading a kids book. Perhaps kids wouldn't notice how ignorant people were being, though kids are more savvy than we think, so, I'm not sure if that is the case. But kids might be more forgiving of the characters faults and the story's flaws than I am.

I am not sure if I am going to read the second book. The premise sounds interesting, but then, so did the premise of this one and I ended up disappointed. We will have to wait and see.

Despite the poor review for this book, I still highly recommend the author. You should definitely check him out.

Superhero School by Aaron Reynolds Illustrated by Andy Rash

from goodreads

3.5 stars

It is almost Hallowe'en. We carved our pumpkins on Sunday so they are all ready to go. When I go looking for pumpkins I tend not to go for the most perfect looking ones. I like the ones that are oddly shaped, or have weird bumps on them, or have scratches and scars. I find that those are the pumpkins that end up giving the jack o' lantern so much character. Also, my carving skills are not top notch. Triangles and a couple toothed grin are about the extent of my jack o' lanterns so the odd ball pumpkins are good enough for me.

We live in a rather aging neighbourhood. We don't have a lot of kids on our street. Our first year in our house we had two kids, not including my own. Last year we had no kids but we did have university students going around giving us chocolate to raise awareness about free trade chocolate. (It was very yummy).

The kids have gone to Hallowe'en parties at Brownies and Sparks (those are branches of the Girl Guide organization). It is always fun to see what other kids decide to wear. All the Sparks, so that is girls aged 5-6, were wearing princess costumes except for one wonder woman, and my girl who was a very fashion witch. At brownies, which are girls aged 7-8 there was a greater variety. There were zebras and cheerleaders and even Amelia Earhart. It's amazing what a year or two will do to children's interests.

Now the real test will be having my kids not change their minds about what they want to be before Friday. I am costume finding/making out. What do you like to do for Hallowe'en?

Synopsis

Leonard knows that there is something special about him so it wasn't a surprise that he was enrolled in a special superhero school. What he didn't know was they would be doing math instead of fighting monsters.

My Thoughts

This was a fairly amusing book. It was nice to see that even superheros need to have a basic education, that they cannot rely on their talents alone. It was cool how the author was able to weave math into superhero stuff and I loved how the kids were tested on their math skills.

Superhero stuff is so over done now with all the different movies that are out now. This book was able to have a fresh vibe with it, though it still had some cliche superhero stuff thrown in.

For me it was just meh. My kids enjoyed it more. I am glad that I read it, but it wouldn't be my first choice in books to read to them. So, the 3 stars come more from just a personal preference then anything negative or lacking from the author or illustrator.

So if you want to read about math learning, ice zombie finding superhero students this book might be right for you.