sad trains and some reviews

It has been particularly busy for me.  I have been:

* Working on my first art showing.

* Wrapping up the coursework for the class I'm taking this semester (writing my first and hopefully last schema).

* Still in extreme limbo with work in every way imaginable, which has been depleting a lot of my energy and time.

* Giving what may be my last programs, which has been an emotional roller coaster.  I already get all the feels toward the end of a season, because kids grow up so fast and go from singing songs with me at storytime one day to driving away to college the next.  But with the extra uncertainty and the extra long break for the organizational change, I find myself just barely holding back the water works each time we sing our goodbye train song.  Though we're all singing, "We'll say goodbye til' next time, see you soon choo choo," inside I'm singing, please don't forget to visit me at the library this summer 😭😭😭.  I would say you've never heard such a sad choo choo in you life, but thankfully my choo choos are drowned out by kids who are blissfully unaware of how fast they grow up.  I'm pretty sure I remember time moving particularly slowly sometimes when I was a kid.

* Revisiting my stomach problems of the past.  Apparently SIBO just keeps coming back???  And sometimes it means something else???

* Still managing to enjoy this beautiful spring we're having here with lots of reading on our front porch. We bought new chairs for the porch with footrests.  It's the perfect way to procrastinate anything related to adulting and sometimes fall asleep.

I feel like the books I've read so far in 2024 have been particularly good.  Really, I'm almost overwhelmed by them.  I made a commitment a few years back to write reviews for all 4 & 5 star books I read.  It was an easy commitment until this year.  Now, when I pick up a book and get a few pages in, I feel the flush of both excitement and exasperation.  "Another good book?  How dare you immediately ensnare me in the first few pages and rob what little sleep I'm already getting!"  And yes, if this sounds like bragging, you're totally right.  

Here are a few reviews:

Scurry by Mac Smith (Juvenile Graphic Novel)

  

Intense dystopian world ruled by animals due to humans being wiped out by human wars. Survival is of utmost importance but friendships, allies, and helping one another stay alive and avoid the killers of the forest (hawks, wolves, and cats) are equally important. The artwork is incredibly bleak but also atmospheric and rich. It's a dystopian world that makes you feel just as cold, terrified, and determined to survive as the characters. Included in the back is a list of characters (so many but easy to remember thanks to complex characters), discussion guide, and activity guide. If there's an illustrator who makes you want to drop everything in your life to create art and tiny worlds centered around life's biggest themes, Mac Smith is it.

Awesome Orange Birthday by Mitali Banerjee Ruths and illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel (Juvenile Fiction - Transitional Chapter Book)

This book is so much fun! Priya has a knack for organization, planning parties, making DIY crafts, and caring for others and animals. I love how this book was organized. There was a character map at the beginning, an additional map of the neighborhood, all kinds of lists, and cute touches everywhere, including illustrations of washi tape. I also appreciate how self-aware Priya is! She has a great grasp of her strengths and weaknesses and strives to work with them rather than against them. I am so excited to read more in this series and hear what kids think about Priya's life!

Lucille Ball Had No Eyebrows? by Dan Gutman

It looks like the Who Was/Is series has a serious competitor! I'm super impressed with this book. The back-and-forth interview style with two "kids" sharing information and asking questions is such a clever idea. This style tastefully and appropriately exposes how ridiculous some of the ideas were during the early twentieth century. While I love the Who Was/Is series, it doesn't shine a light on historical events with a modern lens/perspective. This book is also written well, filled with lots of juicy information, and still contains the biography essentials: timeline and main life events. My only gripe is that it's missing a page listing extra reading recommendations. There's only a tiny nudge to look up YouTube videos about Lucille Ball. It's only a small gripe though. I can't wait to read more books in this series!