Yesterday we kicked off our celebration of Asian-American Heritage Month. Today's book features a young Filipino-American girl so it is perfect for this month. The book is Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly. Today is the release day of this book!! The book is recommended for ages 7 to 12 but I think the sweet spot is for 6 to 9. This is definitely an emerging reader novel thanks to the pictures throughout and larger print size.
May is Asian/Pacific Islander-American Heritage Month. Last May I focused on Japan and I thought this year I might try to do that with Vietnam, but as I looked at my resources this year I decided I would do one post on Vietnam and posts about other Asian and Pacific Island countries. Today we will focus on Vietnam and I will share two books--a cookbook and a picture dictionary. At the end I will share a round-up of some activities and books on the topic of Vietnam and the culture.
April is Autism Awareness Month. I have a close friend who has a son on the spectrum. It is through them that I truly became aware of autism and what it is. Her son is highly functioning, but I know the difficulties he can have. When he was young I was one of the only people she allowed to pick him up from school besides herself or her husband. I feel blessed to have learned more about autism from him and I feel blessed to share these two amazing books with you. These books come from the REED Foundation for Autism. Inside each cover jacket it says: "The 'One Big Canvas' book series is an initiative of the REED Foundation for Autism. The series will feature a growing number of titles, characters, and storylines centered on understanding, accepting, and demonstrating kindness to all." The REED Foundation for Autism is committed to providing individuals with autism the opportunity to learn, live, work and thrive at every stage of their lives. For more information, please visit https://www.reedfoundationforautism.org.
The past year has been full of many things. There have been so many upsets in our society. We are living through a worldwide pandemic. We saw citizens attack the Capitol Building. And then there is George Floyd. The verdict is in and his killer has been found guilty. Now we await the sentencing. But his death caused a spark in our nation and probably the world to look at systemic racism. These are some of the thoughts I entered this book with and what an amazing book. The book is It Doesn't Take a Genius by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. It is a new middle grade novel.
I have a confession to make. I have been meaning to share today's book with you for over a month but I keep picking it up and then reading something else because of time constraints. However I am very excited to share it with you. I will admit I have not completely finished it and will do so because it is so interesting. The book is Wabi Sabi: The Wisdom in Imperfection by Nobuo Suzuki.
