What We're Reading: Hilo

What we're reading: Hilo by Judd Winick (of Real World SF fame).

My husband picked out this graphic novel for Animal. Based on that knowledge, Animal was hesitant to try this one. After we finished Ghosts I decided we would make Hilo our bedtime story. Usually I let Animal choose, but sometimes I decide it's time to try something outside of his comfort zone.

There was some grumbling and moaning to be sure, but I'm used to that. One chapter in and he was hooked. Hilo is an action packed adventure graphic novel. There are robots, kids, explosions, friendship, magic and other dimensions.

We are both enjoying so much. When I told my husband how much we were both enjoying and that Animal had already read ahead and finished it on his own, he went on Amazon and ordered the rest of the series.

We are about to finish the last book, but Animal has already devoured the complete series!

Guys, this is my dream come true. I love to read. It's such an important skill. I want my son to be a ferocious reader, like me. When he was an infant and toddler I would cry, and fret because he didn't seem to like books. He wasn't really talking very much, he only had a about a dozen words when he started preschool at 2. Even though I read to him every day. One day he finally started showing interest in the books I was reading him.

My love of reading doesn't just fuel my imagination. Doesn't just put words in my head. Doesn't just entertain me. It has made me a better, more empathetic person. It's made it easy for me to code switch. It's made me a better student. It's given me the ability to learn about anything. For fun, for health, for knowledge. Whatever the subject, there's a book for that.

Even though Animal didn't struggle to learn to read, he HATED it, and I hated making him read to me everyday. But I did. Now here we are. Finally. Don't give up fellow readers. There's a book (many books actually) for everyone.

Animal's art work.

Parenting Fail 876

Sample: creation on a (sparsely used) art tool organizer

As a parents we often buy things that we think will fuel Animal's imagination and foster his creativity. We stroll down the craft aisles and craft stores on many a Saturday while running errands.

Big Paper, little paper, white, colored, thin, thick, all kinds of paper. Glue, markers, crayons, erasers,  scissors, paintbrushes, water colors, acrylic paint. Googly eyes, stickers, rulers, pens, pencil sharpeners, organizers, art portfolios, sketch pads, canvas, scotch tape, masking tape, brads, and paper clips. That's a short list of the types of things we purchase. 

He draws. A lot. He illustrates and writes books, comics and flip-o-ramas. He cuts up boxes from Amazon and builds tracks, houses, hide outs, stores, cars, the list is as endless as his imagination. These creations fill up our walls, our floors and his bedroom. We store some, we recycle some, we throw some away. I LOVE his art. I love his creativity and tenacity. I hate throwing it away because I'm a pack rat and I'm a sentimental sucker.

So why? Why did I buy a whole bucket of pipe cleaners?

The Mr. looked at me quizzically when I picked up the bucket and asked Animal what he thought one morning at a craft store. I said, "He makes some really cool stuff with these." My husband, an artist, said, ok. Animal was excited and so was I (at the thought of escaping Micheal's 5 bucks and taxes only).

The bucket, with a few things I have found.

Here we are, a month out. He's made some cool shit. Including a King Ghidorah (Godzilla's Nemesis), and other cool creations, and many, many pieces of "art" that I find under beds, behind electronics, in toy bins, and in many random spots (as pictured at the top of this post).

So parenting fail 876: buying what would soon become precious, untouchable garbage that has served it's purpose, but I have to have the heart to throw out, because it's trash now.

What We're Reading: Ghosts

We're reading Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier.

Ghosts is a graphic novel about two sisters. Cat(rina) is a teenager and Maya is her younger sister who has cystic fibrosis. The family moves to a new city that will help Maya breath easier. The town (or at least the first people they meet) is obsessed with ghosts and El Dia De Los Muertos is a big deal in this town. 

I loved how the holiday and it's traditions were explained, the story, and the art work. It was a beautiful portrayal of how other cultures (my culture) view death. Animal loved it for "the sad, but sweet story", and because he said it was his culture. 

There is some Spanish text or for you bilingual families this graphic novel is available in Spanish (Fantasmas).

There was, for me, a very touching moment between the sisters, when Maya asks Cat, "What happens if I die, Cat? Will you be afraid of my ghost, too?" It was such an honest moment. What could Cat say except the truth, or nothing. 

A couple of months ago Animal shared some fears about his father's health. I reassured him his dad's immune system was getting better everyday. Now that he was done with his treatment, his immune system could heal. Dad was going to start being able to go to the amusement park with us again, we could go to places with lots of strangers, he was going to start picking him up from school again and we weren't going to have to quarantine ourselves if we got sick anymore. "that's over now." I said. 

Animal answered, "but it isn't really over yet." And what could I say? The truth was, that that what I said was a half truth. I hadn't lied, but there are still going to be trips to the hospital. Lab work. CT scans. 

This was a really good book.