Rutabaga's Reads 2022: Part 12

At the library I work at, I’ve spent a fair amount of time covering the Children’s Library. When I’m re-shelving, it’s easy to come across books that look intriguing. Here is the second picture book compilation for 2022.

It’s Raining Tacos! (June 22, 2021) by Parry Gripp.

   Peter Emmerich, illustrator.

It’s not raining drops of water. It’s not raining cats and dogs. It’s raining tacos! Tacos? A young boy is thrilled to be celebrating his birthday. There will be pizza and cake, a bouncy house and presents, but there’s also a birthday dog, and he eats all the pizza. Uh-oh. So the boy wonders if birthday wishes come true and for this birthday boy, they do. Shell. Meat. Lettuce. Cheese. It’s raining tacos!

            All right. I admit that I checked out this picture book because I like tacos. Big fan. Crispy shell. Soft shell. Walking tacos. Taco salad. This vibrant yarn is vibrantly illustrated with a diverse cast of children, though the story arc is simple. Since I have not heard the song, the lyrics/story did seem dissonant when I was reading it, so I didn’t wholly connect with the story. I don’t suddenly see myself buying this book for my young nephew or pulling up the video on YouTube. I do appreciate the exuberance of the story, even when the party appears ruined, and I’m all for a taco bonanza!

Roof Octopus (Mar. 1, 2018) by Lucy Branam.

   Rogério Coelho, illustrator.

Imagine waking one morning to find an octopus on the roof of your apartment building. “It might be part of a migration,” says Nora’s father. The neighbors of the other apartments are skeptical of the roof octopus at first, thinking it’ll go away if they pay it no mind. Nora likes the octopus, giving it a cheerful wave, and the octopus happily gives Nora and her friends rides on a tentacle swing. It turns out the octopus is “a neighborly sort,” which it is. It helps the mailman deliver mail, takes a resident’s dogs for a walk and even carries Mr. and Mrs. Carmen up to their fourth-story room. Nora wants the octopus to come to her school for show-and-tell. “This Friday?” she asks. The octopus is gone from the apartment building’s roof the following day, but is there a school octopus come Friday?

            This picture book is so cute. I don’t think octopuses get a very good rap, as they are a rather intimidating cephalopod. Some might even be a little creeped out by them. But this story paints the octopus in a friendly, delightful way. The illustrations capture lots of color and shape. The octopus seems to be record-breaking big, but it’s got a pleasant countenance. The story itself is fun. Mostly the prose is typed out as words on a page, but sometimes the text appears like thought-bubbles. Where I live surely wouldn’t work for a roof octopus, as I’m nowhere near an ocean, but what an exciting friend to have!

Ten Days and Nine Nights (May 12, 2009) by Yumi Heo.

A young Korean girl is looking forward to gaining a sibling. She’s awaiting a baby sister, and her mother travels to Korea to receive her, while she, her daddy and her grandparents finish preparations. She counts down the days and nights left to go before her mommy will return on the plane, making drawings, redecorating her room, sewing a pink dress and even washing her old teddy bear. All is busy until Mommy and Baby Sister arrive. Then “I have no days and no nights” left to wait.

            This is a simple, sweet tale. When one thinks of adoption stories, the trend seems to focus on how hard the pre-adjustment is for the older sibling, but in this story, there is only pure joy. The girl gets swept up in preparations because she wants her baby sister’s welcome to be the very best, and it’s clear that she already loves this little one she hasn’t met. Although this is an older picture book, it’s a worthwhile one for libraries to have in their collections, and I love that my local library carries it!

            The author/illustrator shares in her author’s note that she was born in and spent her first 24 years in Korea. It would be even longer before she’d meet her first Korean adoptee. She states that she was “proud of him” to thrive after coming such a long way and without his birth parents. Sadly, this author passed away in 2016, but how illuminating it’d have been to have had a conversation with her! Being a Korean adoptee in a Caucasian family, I’ve had an excellent upbringing in a loving home where I never worried about the basic necessities. And for me, living in the U.S. is all I’ve ever known. To me, it’s part of my life and not something to be surprised by. I am American, but I have no issue sharing that I’m ethnically Korean, and I love visiting Korea … as a tourist.

Ten Minutes to Bed Little Unicorn (Oct. 20, 2020) by Rhiannon Fielding.

   Chris Chatterton, illustrator.

In The Ancient Forest in The Land of Nod lives Twinkle and her family. Twinkle is a naughty unicorn, though unicorns aren’t known to cause trouble. But when her dad begins the bedtime countdown, starting with a 10-minute warning, Twinkle is off to cause a riot. Dancing, prancing and dashing about, all is a fun distraction until she realizes she’s forgotten how to get home. As long as Twinkle remembers that a rainbow is made “from a unicorn’s wish,” she can find her way home. But will she ever be ready for bed?

            The first story I’ve read from the Ten Minutes to Bed series, I found this one to be beautifully illustrated, the illustrations bringing to life Twinkle’s magical adventure in an adorable, magical land that would be joyous to explore. The story is in verse, and I’m in the group that loves rhyming poems, so the tempo of reading aloud resonated well with me. I found this children’s book to be really, truly cute. It makes magic adorable and helps imaginations soar.

The World Needs More Purple People (June 2, 2020) by Kristen Bell & Benjamin Hart.

   Daniel Wiseman, illustrator.

Are you a purple person? “Purple is a magic color made when red and blue work together.” Penny is a kid-expert on how to live a purple life. There are five steps, like asking great questions, laughing a lot and working hard.

            If you want a pep talk in a picture book, a youth on the lookout for positive change or a wholesome story that is fun and a small bit gross (“snot-out-our-nose laughing” is not an illustration I needed to see, and I definitely don’t want to see that in real life!), give this one a try. The kids in the target audience will likely not notice what the colors stand for regarding U.S. politics, but people at any age can and should want a nicer world, one with compassion and kindness. The illustrations are colorful and cheerful, and the overall message is one advocating that you be your best you, no matter what you look like. Collaborate with your family, friends and community. Show open-mindedness instead of automatic dissension. Be a PURPLE person!

Rutabaga's Reads 2022: Part 11

It looks promising that there *should* be two nonfiction compilations this year. Here is the first one.

Crying in H Mart (Apr. 20, 2021) by Michelle Zauner.

The author also known by her stage name as Japanese Breakfast, Michelle Zauner pauses in her singing and songwriting to give readers her memoir. It’s one of rebellion and regret, angst and endurance, family and food. Zauner tells of what it’s like to grow up in rural Eugene, Oregon, one of not many Asians in a Caucasian landscape with an indomitable Korean mother (“Hers was tougher than tough love. It was brutal, industrial-strength.”). There’s her mother’s harping about skin, beauty and physical appearance and other particular expectations foisted upon her household, but there are treasured moments with her mother in her grandmother’s little apartment in Seoul. She practically flees to the East Coast for college, starts a fledgling band (all must begin somewhere) and meets the one who’ll eventually be her husband. Growing up, the impression is that her Koreanness is oppressive. And her mother is too much, especially when she screams at her daughter, ”I had an abortion after you because you were such a terrible child!” When her mother is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, things change. After her mom’s death in October 2014, Zauner sharply feels the loss of her mom, of her Korean side, the culture, the language, the food. Especially the food. Fortunately, her story doesn’t end at grief, but continues with a music career that takes flight.

            Right away, Zauner’s candor impresses me. While I can imagine growing up with her mom wasn’t easy, I found myself repulsed by Zauner’s disrespect. To call her a brat would be too kind. But making it beyond those rebellious battle years to the person finding herself, growing and improving, diving into upping her Korean culinary skills, is amazing. There is almost lyrical movement in her journey of finding success growing from grief and being able to immortalize that pathos through music. To be fair, I’m only writing of my impressions reading her memoir; I am not familiar with the artist’s music. I love how Zauner takes initiative in embracing her Korean culture, especially the food, and no longer thinks of her Koreanness as a negative aspect of her (the musician is biracial; her father is Caucasian). She evolves and endures. I was fully immersed in her story, though I couldn’t help comparing our vast differences in upbringing.  Do not miss out on this book! Side effects may include wanting to eat vast amounts of Korean food! :-)

The Korean (Nov. 17, 2021) by Africa Byongchan Yoon.

The daughter of an Ambassador to the United Nations for Cameroon, Suzanne Africa Engo was used to people and highly emotionally intelligent from a young age. She was exposed to other cultures early on, including at the United Nations school at age six and later, at a boarding school in London. As she forged her own path, activism became key to her life. She became a celebrated activist, attending galas with celebrities, living a big, busy, Manhattan life. She also gained 120 pounds. She decided upon a life change to find the person she wanted to be so she could find a husband and have children, but it was a run-in with a Korean halmoni (or halmeoni, meaning grandmother) calling her fat that got her on that new path. As her weight dropped - she lost 110 pounds in a year - so did her feelings toward her Manhattan lifestyle. She ran all the way from NYC to Chicago and met Oprah. She met The Korean, the man who’d become her husband and father of their three children, of all places, in Iowa. She discusses the benefits of meditation in her life, especially through an extremely intense health scare. Through it all, there’s food. Not junk food, but delicious, healthy Korean food with lots of kimchi included, of course!

            For readers who appreciate an ugly-duckling-turned-swan tale, that’s also nonfiction, this may be a story for you. For someone like me, who grew up in a rural area, Yoon’s life seems grandiose, even from an early age. My favorite parts of the story include any mention of Korean food, and the times when she’s mentioning Koreans and their consumption of garlic made me laugh out loud (“Use one clove of garlic, said no Korean ever.”). Sometimes I felt her chapters waxed on too long, like her point was made, but she kept elaborating on the point. It also bothers me where she writes on page 14, “I thought to myself, Well, what do I have to do to have these children, that husband, and that life? They won’t come if I am as fat as I am now!” I don’t like to believe that a person’s size should ever be indicative of one’s worthiness of love. But overall, Yoon’s story is winsome but not without personal challenges. Fortunately, there’s also personal growth and achieving major dreams. Africa Yoon is a bright light to the world, and I expect she’ll continue to shine bright.

            Note: I read this story after hearing of it on the actor Daniel Dae Kim’s Instagram Story, but for those reading this story from the perspective of someone who wants motivation to lose lots of weight, please understand that we all have different circumstances. Yes, Africa lost an impressive amount of weight - 110 pounds in a year - and went on to run over 1,000 miles from NYC to Harpo Studios in Chicago, but most people do not have five free hours one day a week (much less five or six days every week) to devote solely to working out. For others, perhaps they can’t afford gym memberships or personal trainers. And for probably most people, we don’t just personally know top-name yogis or running gurus or fitness/wellness pros on a first-name, we’re-in-each-other’s-contacts-lists basis. Know that it’s all right to do what you can with the resources available to you.

Unfinished: A Memoir (Feb. 9, 2021) by Priyanka Chopra Jonas.*

A dual-continent star, Priyanka Chopra Jonas gives readers insight into her growing-up years in India, her teenage years living with relatives and attending school in the United States, her return to India and her unplanned entrance into the pageant world, and her rise in national (India) and international fame after winning Miss World. Her life has already been an interesting one, from leading what might sometimes have felt like a nomadic lifestyle to jumping into the glittery and bedazzling but highly intense world of pageant competitions to the ups and downs of establishing herself as an actress of repute, both in Bollywood films and her international work. She talks of her involvement as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and how rewarding and heart-wrenching that work is. She tells readers the tough journey her beloved father traversed when he was diagnosed with cancer, how he endured and supported her despite the brutality of the aggressive cholangiocarcinoma that eventually took his life in June of 2013. And, of course, she shares her story of how she first met music star Nick Jonas and the seemingly fairytale, whirlwind adventure their romance-that-led-to-marriage is.

            I did not read Chopra Jonas’ story because of familiarity with her work; I’m mostly not familiar with her work, and while I know she starred on “Quantico,” that wasn’t a show that I ever got into watching. I read her story, because my mind told me to read it, and I’m so glad that I read her lively, engaging memoir. I’m impressed by the importance her parents placed on being good humanitarians and just good people in general. She’s a staunch supporter of women’s rights around the world and it shines through her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Her writing displays her passion for her craft (acting and also producing), exudes warmth and shows tenacity in going for what she wants. There have certainly been remarkable triumphs, but there has also been intense grief and humbling challenges along her rise to fame. She’s candid and bold, charismatic and resilient, ever-inspiring. She is a woman who has a deep love of her family and her culture. For anyone that only thinks of her as a pretty face, think again.

*Professionally, I believe the actress has returned to using Priyanka Chopra, but I included Jonas, for that is how the author’s name is portrayed as the autobiographer.

"The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip" by Sara Brunsvold

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip (July 5, 2022) by Sara Brunsvold.*

A young reporter ready for a front-page assignment oversteps her bounds. A terminally ill septuagenarian with metastasized cancer is a lover of chocolate chip cookies. Both are women of faith, but Clara Kip’s is as strong as she is cheerful, spunky and compassionate. Aidyn Kelly’s is subtle, quieted by her career in the newsroom, as newsrooms “aren’t exactly harbors of faith.” As punishment, Aidyn is assigned to interview Clara so she can write her obituary. While the first visits are fraught with tension and awkwardness (all on Aidyn’s part), Aidyn’s creativity eventually shines through as she invents “extraordinary deaths” for Clara. As her life has been extraordinary, Clara feels her death should be, too. Cancer is not an extraordinary death, but “During a test run of the latest AF-40 prototype, Kip was thrown from the bike after swerving to avoid a fox kit that had wandered onto the track” is. When Aidyn hears the name Mai Khab and begins to ask those questions about Clara’s past, an entire, life-altering story emerges. Helping to resettle Laotian refugees in Kansas City after the Vietnam War was no small feat, and that story might be the feature that pulls Aidyn out of the mire she’s gotten herself into. Clara’s “exceedingly unimpressive” life has actually been anything but.

            The title drew me to the story, and I am pleased that I read it. Clara truly does have an “indelible vibrancy” that is inspiring and uplifting, even as she knows she’s ebbing closer to meeting her Maker. Aidyn’s obvious lack of visiting anyone in hospice (or any care facility) annoyed me, even as I’m sure it’s not uncommon for young people to not visit such places unless they have a close relative in one, but I rooted for her character to embrace bold, outgoing, vivacious Clara. The novel carries prominent themes of faith and grace (whereas in other inspirational fiction novels those themes can be really subtle), and it is a winsome choice for voracious readers of inspirational fiction. This character-driven story is mostly positive despite one protagonist nearing her end-of-life. Additionally, the inclusion of a backstory with refugees is evergreen and will resonate with readers in our present time. Some may find that the backstory of other aspects of Clara’s past slow the story down, but I found the story to read overall swiftly.

 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Tokyo Dreaming" by Emiko Jean

Tokyo Dreaming (May 31, 2022) by Emiko Jean.

*This is a sequel book.*

Currently living in Japan, Japanese-American and overnight-princess Izumi Tanaka is at a crossroads. Some parts are great. Her once-bodyguard-turned-boyfriend is amazing (Akio Kobayashi), and she’s got her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, living with her. She’s overcome imperial scandal, salacious press and the “Shining Twins,” her conniving cousins Akiko and Noriko. It doesn’t ease the amount on her mind, though. Should she take a gap year or attend university right away? If university is the route, how will she decide which tame, apolitical major to pursue? Is her relationship with Akio the relationship? If that’s not enough, the Imperial Household Council does not approve of her parents’ engagement. Her mother’s background isn’t classy enough, her job not reputable enough, and the press continues to paint Izumi in a less-than-desirable light. Izumi wants her parents’ engagement to lead to a wedding that the council approves of, and she’s ready to become the perfect princess to win the council over. This includes obtaining a tutor to prepare for the EJU (The Examination for Japanese University Admission) and improve her Japanese language skills, both written and spoken. Is it a coincidence that her tutor, Eriku Nakamura, is something of a prodigy and only scion to a shipping magnate? Can Izumi rise above royal expectations while maintaining the person that she is?

            It doesn’t take being a royal to know what it is to be pulled in different directions. Follow your heart and your mind or conform to expectations that make you feel like you’re missing pieces of yourself? The way in which Jean presents Izumi’s conundrum never feels forced, and the word pictures she creates for us - of Japan and bits of history, but also a teenager trying to figure things out - are woven together so well that detritus doesn’t sneak through. Relationships are a theme to the story, those of family, friends, new friends and romantic bonds. (There is a love scene, but it’s easily overlooked for those who prefer to avert their reading eyes.) The plot is evenly-paced and does not read as muddled or all over the place. “Tokyo Dreaming” isn’t only a sometimes cheesy, sometimes cringey, royal teen romance, but a story with substance in which you watch a young woman navigate her path between her actual self and her royal self. And that kind of growth in anyone is pretty momentous.

            Book One: Tokyo Ever After

The Positive Page-turner's Challenge: Take 14

Ever since I started my Positive Page-Turner’s Challenges, I’ve purchased a package of bar soap (8-10 bars/pack) for every book read, chapter books on up. This has had to change, based on two factors: (1) I was told that I didn’t currently need to purchase soap to send to Haiti and (2) I’d been having trouble finding the brand I prefer stocked in local stores. January 2022 was my last month for purchasing soap, but it took me until early March to fulfill it (I needed 10 packages).

            So, what does this mean? I will, undoubtedly, continue my Challenges. For this first one for 2022, I will donate $5 for every book in this picture. With 17 books in this picture, the total amounts to $85. The money will be donated to my church’s Altar Guild fund.

            The bonus piece of my challenge was making a second donation to my home church. I wrote “LDR Eastern Europe Crisis,” on the Memo Line, as indicated that we should. That money went specifically to Lutheran Disaster Response. They respond to disasters both domestic and international. This money will go toward helping those in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The amount I donated was $50, but remember all amounts - large or small or anywhere in between - add up to aid A LOT of people!

            What have you been up to? What are you reading?