JoanWink.com

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

I love to share the books I am reading.

South Dakota One Book

The SD Humanities Council select One Book for us all to read each year.

“The Seed Keeper” by Diane Wilson

It tells the story of how the Dakhota women saved seeds for the next season and/or generation.  It is my understanding that the Lakota women did the same thing. The subplot is very much about 1862.  Hidden between the lines is the question: Who owned the land before the homesteaders?

2023 Young Readers One Book

“The Tale of Despereaux” by Kate DiCamillo

Love this book and will  try to  find my old copy somewhere.

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus. If you or your kids are interested in STEM/STEAM (a.k.a., science), this is a must read. I highly recommend it for women and all men.

“Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt. Loved this story, which is basically about a woman growing older. However, it is the first book I have ever read where an octopus is one of the narrators. I loved the chapters when the octopus was thinking, observing, reflecting, and speaking.  As a friend told me (Thanks, Cissa) there is a dynamite sentence near the end of the book, which I would love.  And, I did!!  Actually, I whooped when I found it. It pulled the whole book together.

Of course,  I continue to read any book about women and books.

Also, I continue to read any banned  books. It always feels like it is the non-readers who try to ban books from us, readers. It is not working here.

BEST.BOOK of the year (for me)!

“Blue: A History of the Color and as Deep  as the Sea and Wide as the Sky” by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and Illustrated by Daniel Minter

I absolutely loved this gorgeous book.  If you are a teacher of any age group, you will find it filled with history, geography, science, social studies, and art. If you are not in school, it is just pure joy also.

I took a copy over to Atall, a little country school near us (50 mi. away).  And, I also took a copy for Missy Urbaniak, the teacher,  so she could read it to the kids.

I also took some chapter history books and a selection of the new Little Golden books.

Oh, how I love these kids.  Just had to grab a quick hug.

Literacy educators/teachers/librarians always talk about how kids need to see themselves in the books they read.  Me, too. This is why I dug out my Judith Viorst and Mary Pipher books. I seem to find myself on every page of these two stacks of books.