BookBairn

Perseverance, grit, growth mindset, etc. Anyway you spin it, it's a hot topic right now. And rightfully so. The importance of encouraging effort over ease has been proven to boost self-esteem, confidence, and learning. But even if there were no studies, it just ends up being common sense. How many quotes have you heard along the lines “if at first you don't succeed,” “keep moving forward,” etc.? The overabundance of these sentiments isn't an accident, for it's only through moving beyond our failure that we learn. Instilling our children with a self-growth attitude when faced with a challenge, not only prepares them to learn exponentially but to be ready to face the setbacks that just happen to be a side-effect of life.

During June, @kidlitpicks faced the hard work with books that focus on characters that don't give up when the going gets tough. Thanks to Wendy from Homegrown Reader for the inspirational theme!

Shaking Things Up, by Susan Hood

“The illustrations and stories in Shaking Things Up are exceptional in their balance and beauty. Complementing one another and honouring women who deserve our admiration and praise. This book deserves our admiration and praise.” — Summer from @readingisourthing

Not My Idea, by Anastasia Higginbotham

“Like all of Higginbotham's books, this one hits the nail on the head." — Mel from @spiky_penelope

Izzy Gizmo, by Pip Jones and Sara Ogilvie **So good, it's on the list twice!**

“I love Izzy Gizmo because she shows that hard work pays off and it often takes a lot of mistakes before you get where you want to be.” — Claire from @alittlebookhabit

Audrey the Amazing Inventor, by Rachel Valentine and Katie Weymouth **So good, it's on the list twice!**

“This is a fun and inspirational story about following your dreams and persevering to achieve your goals” — Kim from @bookbairn

Two Problems for Sophia, by Jim Averbeck and Yasmeen Ismail

“When it comes to perseverance, Sophia is one enterprising girl.” — Miranda from @bookbloom

Audrey the Amazing Inventor, by Rachel Valentine and Katie Weymouth **So good, it's on the list twice!**
“This is a lovely, inspiring book.” — Carissa from @bookskidslove_

Tiger's Roar, by Alex Rance and Shane McG

“It’s a story about teamwork, working hard, having faith in yourself and never, ever giving up.” — Carissa from @bookskidslove_

Andy Web: Artist, by Maree Coote

“With inspiring themes of persistence, self belief and following your dreams regardless of obstacles, this one will teach children to never give up!” — Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople

The Cow Tripped Over the Moon, by Tony Wilson

“Whilst this story certainly delivers valuable life lessons for both kids and adults, it is the clever format that makes it thoroughly enjoyable” — Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople

The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires

"With a plot that many little ones (and adults) can relate to, it touches on emotions, failure, and perseverance while the illustrations balance out this heavy concept." — Wendy from @homegrownreader

Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere, by Barb Rosenstock and Katherine Roy

“The perseverance that these two explorers show over scary things like equipment malfunction and the deep, dark sea make this book a perfect choice.” — Heather from @kidlitbookbits

The Wolf, the Duck, & the Mouse, by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

“Nothing says perseverance quite like a duck living his #bestlife inside a wolf’s belly.” — Anna from @kidlitcrafts

What Do You Do With a Problem?, by Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom

"Provides such a wonderful perspective on facing our problems head on and the learning that occurs through this process.” — Teri from @petitbookcorner

Izzy Gizmo, by Pip Jones and Sara Ogilvie **So good, it's on the list twice!**

“If you want to teach a child to be determined, never give up on themselves, and to work hard. This is one of my favorite books right now.” — Michelle from @the.book.report

Girl on a Wire, by Lucy Estela and Elise Hurst

“Told with an earnest gusto that propels the intimate story of personal perseverance into an epic tale of fortitude.” — Liam from @words.and.illustrations

Our @kidlitpicks theme for JUNE is SUMMER

Summer—swimming at the beach all day, eating popsicles poolside, picnics at the park and evening barbecues, having extra time to read—it's a time of the year we all look forward to, and it's our theme for July!!

Charnaie from @hereweeread chose this theme. Her introduction is below…

Warm summer months are filled with lazy days, lemonade, trips to the beach, nature walks, swimming pools and firefly nights. Summer is a great time of year, especially if you’re a kid. School is out and inspiration can be found in various places from your garden to a trip to the zoo. Whether you are planning on spending your summer on vacation, swimming, beach bumming, catching fireflies, camping or running your own lemonade stand, there is bound to be a fun book to read.
Throughout the month of July, the @KidLitPicks book club wants to see some of your favorite summer-themed books. Join in and share your choices by following us and tagging your summertime reads with #kidlitpicks_summer all month long!

Happy Reading,

The KidLitPicks Team and Kim x

I have managed to do quite a lot more reading in these last three months and have reached my GoodReads challenge of 48 books (which I chose to be four a month) and I'm now secretly hoping I might manage 100 books but I don't want to set myself too high a target either. It's been an interesting month of reading with quite a few wonderful five star books and some that were extremely disappointing too. I had a 'meh' month in May with very little that wowed me but made up for it in June with lots of excellent books!

So here's what I've read in the last three months with a little snippet review:

April

Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis - 3 Stars

I listened to this one on audiobook and I didn't like this one as much as the previous in the series. I also found I was listening to it in shorter chunks in the car rather than doing a long journey somewhere so perhaps that inhibited my listening ability? Found it a bit confusing and the characters over-abundant. The next in the series isn't available on audio at my library so I'll need to read the book and that might help me enjoy it more than the audiobook.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling - 5 Stars

Huge book confession time, I hang my head in shame as I finally admit to you all, I haven't read them. But now that it's out there... I started reading Harry Potter and loved it. Much more than the film. Sorry I'm so late to the game. Got the next to on audio download from my library. You wait 21 years to read it and then three come along at once!

The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows - 5 Stars

I loved re-reading this. It's brilliant. The film was brilliant. Such a moving and heart-warming story. It has everything to love in a book: books, friendship, war, romance! If you haven't read it, you need to.

Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill - 4 Stars

This is a dystopian novel about what would happen if women were run off a conveyor belt like barbies to serve the purpose of men. I found this gripping, disturbing and fascinating. Very uncomfortable reading and yet I still wanted more. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Belle and Sebastien by Cecile Aubrey - 3 Stars

My mum tells me how much I loved the TV series as a child so when I saw Helen Stephens had illustrated I just knew I had to have a copy and since it's my birthday I treated myself. Really enjoyed it too!

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry - 3 Stars

I've been trying for months to read this and couldn't get into it. And to be honest, I slogged my way through. I thought it was ok. And I was waiting for something amazing because of all the hype. But it didn't live up to it I'm afraid. Glad I finally finished it though!

May

Dear Ijeawele: A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - 4 Stars

I loved this little book of tips for raising a feminist, short but feisty! It makes me really want to read one of her novels.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - 4 Stars

I didn’t enjoy this as much as I remembered but still want to go to Misselwaith to explore the Secret Garden. I just found I was comparing it to 'A Little Princess' by the same author which I love and this just didn't quite live up to that for me. But I have really enjoyed reading the 'Storybook' edition with BookBairn recently.

Harry Potter Chamber Of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling - 5 Stars

I listened to both on f these on audiobook and loved them. I'm loving learning more about the world of Hogwarts and the characters from the story. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite in the series so far!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han - 3 Stars

I found the main character ridiculously self-indulgent and the storyline weak in this much-lauded series. I won't be reading any more of them. But I will probably watch the Netflix series when it comes out later this summer.

So Much for that Winter by Dorthe Nors - 3 Stars

These two short stories were truly fascinating and I loved the way the story was told through written lists - I can totally identify with that! But some of it was a bit "literary" for my taste and I thought such an interesting medium could have been used to tell a more compelling story.

The Invention Of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - 5 Stars

This was easily the best book of the month! Beautiful illustrations, magical story, a wonderful book! Can’t wait to read more from the author! (In fact i've just checked out The Marvels from the library!)

These Dividing Walls by Fran Cooper - 4 Stars

I used to live in Paris (did I mention that already - I feel like I drop this into conversation a lot!!) so I found the descriptions of the city to be very evocative of the Paris I know; though the story about the descent to right wing politics was quietly disturbing. Probably packed with too many unnecessary side-stories for me. It was powerful enough without them.

June

Ordeal By Innocence by Agatha Christie - 5 Stars

I loved this and it was very different from the TV dramatisation so it was great to have a bit more surprise than I was expecting.

It Only Happen in the Movies by Holly Bourne - 4 Stars

I really enjoyed this love/not love story. I think a younger me would have loved it even more!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling - 5 Stars

This is my new favourite! I found this really gripping and even though I knew the majority of the story from the films it was written in such a way that I still questioned what was going to happen. A masterpiece of storytelling.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng - 4 Stars

I found myself reading and reading and being kind of gripped by this but I'm not sure why as it wasn't a typical gripping read. I wanted to know what was going on in the main character's mind and became involved in the family saga.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 5 Stars

My favourite Agatha Christie that I've read so far. Genius. If you've not read any of her books yet I would start with this one - and then you'll be hooked.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - 3 Stars

I found the style of this fascinating and the protagonist was a really compelling character. But I did find it pretty incredible and wholly unlikely story and therefore I just couldn't quite get behind it.

Crowns of Croswald by DE Night - 4 Stars

This is a brilliant new MG book set in a magical world full of adventure and promise for the next in the series. I found that some of the world was a bit overly complex but I loved the idea of scrivenry and the magic involved in this. Looking forward to reading more from this series.

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - 5 Stars

This has for some time been one of my all time favourite books and listening to it on audiobook did not disappoint (though I think I enjoy it more when I read it as the audio was a bit stop and start because I don't listen consistently). I love the story. I love the characters. I want to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed 5 Stars

This was my book of the month because it totally surprised me. It's a very dark and disturbing piece of feminist dystopian fiction, this is one that will stay with me for some time and although I wouldn't say I enjoyed reading it, I found it to be an incredible book.

I've decided not to plan 'to be read' piles anymore as I like having the freedom to choose a bit more widely but I do plan to continue with the Harry Potter books (currently reading HP & the Order of the Phoenix) as well as getting back to the Narnia books. I also want to read all of the books that I bought when I went charity book shopping. And I'm thinking in September I might do a sort of 'back to school' focus on reading MG (Middle Grade, books aimed at 8-12 year olds) as I have a few sitting on my shelf waiting to be read!

Below is a link to my GoodReads page which should be up to date with all the books I have read so far this year (and it should keep updating as I continue to read). I'll be doing another quarterly post at the end of September but if you want to see what I'm currently reading you can find me on there!