Socks are one of my favorite craft supplies. My stock is a combination of feet from unused socks (left over from doll clothes) and whole socks with worn spots. I was sorting through them and found a couple of pieces that coordinated rather well.
I had in mind to make a snail and this seemed like a good combination. I cut the top of the foot and front of the leg from the striped sock and a narrow strip above the heel of the purple sock and stitched them into pillows, coiling the striped one as I went.
A pipe cleaner and some pompoms gave the snail eyes. I wanted a practical use for the snail, so I've tucked a small sewing kit into the snail shell and use the top as a pincushion. It sits on my desk at work, decorating it and storing supplies at the same time.
The Runaways by Ulf Stark
Total read in March thus far: 9
Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
Total read in March thus far: 5
Clean Eating for Busy Families by Michelle Dudash
Total read in March thus far: 3
Every March, to celebrate Reading Month, I make it a point to read more. And also, to carefully track every book that I read. I'll be tracking those books this year here, with an extra post every morning. The plan is to simply post a cover image of whatever book I'm currently reading. I'll also keep a running tally of my total books for the month (all books - picture book, graphic novel, audio book, etc). Why this attention to numbers? I'll be making a donation to RIF (Reading is Fundamental) and the end of the month based on that total. And March is a great time to make a donation to RIF as they're matching all donations made in March. You can learn more about RIF here.
So what am I reading today?
The Bigfoot Files by Lindsay Eagar
Total read in March: 0
Title: Didi Dodo Future Spy - Recipe for Disaster
Author: Tom Angleberger
Genre: humor
Similar books: The Bolds by Julian Clary
Claude in the City by Alex T Smith
Rating:
 |
| cleverly silly |
Summary (provided by publisher): In this series opener, Koko Dodo the cookie chef has a big problem. Today is the day of the royal cookie contest, and someone has stolen his top-secret fudge sauce! Luckily, a spy enters the scene just in time (or rather, crashes in on her roller skates): Didi Dodo! This might be Didi’s first case ever, but she has a daring plan to help Koko. Koko would prefer a safe, simple, sure-to-work plan, but without another option, he and the amateur sleuth take off on a wacky caper full of high-speed chases and big belly laughs that could only come from the mind of the inimitable Tom Angleberger. Each book in the series will focus on a food-related mystery.
My opinion: Angleberger certainly has a talent for developing unique characters. In the case of an early chapter book like this one, unique characters are what make it enjoyable and memorable. The mystery of the stolen fudge sauce follows a pretty obvious story arc but it includes some great elements. First we have this wild adventure with crazy exploits, constantly adding to the cast of characters. Secondly, there's a message about fair play and competition. Not just the standard message about not cheating, but the idea that a contest where the same competitor always wins entertains no one. Not knowing, anticipation, is what makes a contest worth doing/watching. Making that the final conclusion elevates this above the standard early elementary story.
More information: Recipe for Disaster releases March 19.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Title: Stand on the Sky
Author: Erin Bow
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz
Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth
Rating:
 |
| compelling |
Summary (provided by publisher): It goes against all tradition for Aisulu to train an eagle, for among the Kazakh nomads, only men can fly them. But everything changes when Aisulu discovers that her brother, Serik, has been concealing a bad limp that risks not just his future as the family's leader, but his life too.
When her parents leave to seek a cure for Serik in a distant hospital, Aisulu finds herself living with her intimidating uncle and strange auntie—and secretly caring for an orphaned baby eagle. To save her brother and keep her family from having to leave their nomadic life behind forever, Aisulu must earn her eagle’s trust and fight for her right to soar. Along the way, she discovers that family are people who choose each other, home is a place you build, and hope is a thing with feathers.
My opinion: The life of nomads is so different from what most of us experience, that exploration alone makes this worth reading for most of us. A close look at the ins and outs of life in another culture is always uplifting. But while those little details will be foreign to most readers, there's a universality to the larger messages. Aisulu's culture undervalues her because of her gender. And because she doesn't fit a traditional gender role, she feels rejected and invisible within her own family. Her family crisis actually opens up her world. In seeking solace in raising an eagle, she begins to challenge her societal norms. And this challenging she begins to view those around her through anew lens. She begins to value other outsiders, to find a secondary family. It's a great read in and of itself and would make a great starting point for a group discussion, especially if you paired it with a book set in the US with similar themes.
More information: Stand on the Sky releases March 5.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
