slow mornings; a Mast favorite!
April was a pretty decent reading month, considering it was a full month. The kids had their Destination Imagination tournament (1st place in both categories!), a few field trips, wrapping up of the kids' co-op with Celebration Day, horse camp each week, planting our garden, Easter Celebrations and the like. Phew! We squeezed in finishing a couple good read-alouds, too. Here's my list:
*True You by Michelle DeRusha - This was another book that felt right in line with books I've been reading relating to spirituality and the Christian faith; but really, the breaking down of the false self (see The Gift of Becoming Yourself and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality). I love DeRusha's metaphor of pruning a tree that shows up in section breaks. The author lives in my hometown, and so I felt a bit more context with what she was noticing throughout the seasons (and relating them to the context of a faith journey) becuase I've been to all those places she was talking about. I found myself really loving whenever I got to pick up this book, even if I finished it over the course of two weeks chapter by chapter.
*Hey Nostradomus! by Douglas Coupland - This was a book club pick that was hard to get ahold of but a very fast read with it's character sections, unusual plot, and dark humor. It's a story about a school schooting (yes, that part is graphic), and the aftermath up to 14 years later. Coupland is a local Vancouverite artist who has also written a lot of books. I gave it a 3.5 because although I laughed out loud at times--this is what a Quentin Tarantino film is like to read--some of it was just too unbelievable and ridiculous for me. As usual, we had a good time at book club and that was that. I'm still interested in seeking out his art around town, though.
*Monument by Natasha Trethewey - I didn't realize when I put Threthewey's newest book of poetry on hold that it was an anthology-mostly of older poems but also a few new ones. I don't know that I would have picked it up as I've read everything of hers in the past, but...I really liked the way this book started and finished about one main topic: her mom who was murdered at a young age. Of course, that topic is varied throughout the poems, but it is, as the title suggests, a monument to the woman. I love her writing and it's a really strong, cohesive book of poetry that spans decades.
*Turtles All the Way Down by John Green - I love John Green's books, videos, etc. I will read his rendidition of the phone book or a work memo, because he can infuse it with creativity, dry wit, and believable characters. When I heard this book was about a girl with OCD, I was instantly intrigued. It's not all that it's about, but it's there, and it's really interesting to read about it. I feel like it gives a pretty realisitic view of a teenager trying to be normal but also coping with this reality. His books are easy to read and a good dose of YA fiction is always good for my brain when scattered!
*Atlas Obscura (Kid) by Dylan Thuras and Rosemary Mosco - This is sort of a random pick, becuase it's actually like a coffee table book about traveling to bizarre places around the world-but in picture book form. I saw it in the window of Wendell's, our local bookstore, when walking the dog one day and snapped a picture. The illustrations are really engaging, and so many of these places I had never heard of before: lava lakes? a blood-red waterfall in Antarctica? self-mummifying Buddhist monks? WHAT?! So fun to read. I realized my kids weren't as interested as I was, so I just stuffed myself in my room for an hour and read it front to back.
Read-Aloud with Kids
*Ribsy by Beverly Cleary - I didn't realize that Cleary had written a book only about a dog (Henry Huggins' dog, to be precise!) but when I saw it on a booklist I knew I wanted to do it as a read-aloud. Lukka's first reaction to it was that it was 'written for little kids', but becuase Cleary is a master children's author, I knew he'd come around, and he did. Ribsy gets lost one day and finds himself running from house to house, person to person, until finally he can hear Henry's voice on the phone and....?! You'll laugh out loud and groan audibly with Ribsy's antics and just how can this keep happening ?!
*Vancouver Kids by Leslie McKnight - This was our homeschool year's surprise read aloud. I bought this book after seeing it pop up here and there at homeschooling stores for years, and when I started reading through it, I immediately bought the others in the series (currently reading Island Kids, all about kids growing up in the BC islands...stay tuned for next month). McKnight has beautifully woven fact with [some] fiction into these true stories of children growing up in British Columbia from before written history (the book starts out with the Indigenous story about the Two Sisters--mountains) all the way through present day with her own daughter's voice. The stories are short-about 4-5 pages, and are told through the child's eyes who the event happened to. At the end of each story there is a "What Do We Know For Sure?" section where we find out just how McKnight found this story and what exactly was true and what was fictional. My kids LOVE hearing these stories, and bonus-it counts as our Socials curriculum.
*Growing Up in Wild Horse Canyon by Karen Autio - This is a longer picture book (approx 80 pages) that we read aloud for local BC history. It's a story about an area in the Oakanagan that we see represented through story and fact developing through the last couple centuries. My daughter really enjoyed this one because...horses...but my son was just not interested, unfortunately. Autio is a BC author as well and was at our local homeschooling conference over the weekend.
*Ask! "Say Hello to the Horse" - Every month we read aloud Cricket's science-related magazine for kids aged 9-12, Ask! Our local library has a subscription and I sometimes think we're the only ones who check it out. This issue comes at a perfect time, as the kids have just started their level 3 horse camp which includes knowledge about the horse, groundwork like cleaning hooves, tacking up, practicing knots, and then a 45 minute trail ride. This issue was well-timed as it took a bit of a deeper dive into something they already know and love, and are currently investing their time (and money!) in.
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