Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders

 As an English teacher, writer, and lover of language, I am fascinated by how culture causes language to evolve. When I lived in Germany and attempted to learn German, the words I seemed to stick with me the most were the ones that had no direct English equivalent. To this day, Schadenfreude continues to be my favorite German word because it so perfectly captures a less flattering but all too true side of humanity in a single, rhythmical utterance.

And so a book like Lost in Translation titillates the lover of words in me that seeks new and different ways to express feelings and describe life experiences.

This illustrated picture book for adults is the perfect gift for the word nerd in your life and can be a great source of discussion about how culture shapes our language and also to show students why tools like Google Translate don't always get it right.


A few of my favorite words from the book:

Commuovere - Italian
(verb) to be moved in a heartwarming way, usually related to a story that moved you to tears

Resfeber - Swedish
(noun) the restless beat of a traveler's heart before the journey begins, a mixture of anxiety and anticipation

Tsundoku - Japenese
(noun) Leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled together with other unread books

Struisvogelpolitiek - Dutch
(noun) literally translated to "ostrich politics,"  AKA, burying your head in the sand

My one and only complaint with this book is that the author/illustrator's choice of lettering often made the definitions and sometimes the words themselves difficult to read. I would have liked her to have considered a different way of lettering to make for better ease of reading. Other than that, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders
Published: September 16, 2014
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Pages: 112
Format/Genre: Picture Book/Nonfiction
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Library Copy

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 2-15-16

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.


Last week I reviewed:

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys


I finished reading:

Yes! We are Latinos: Poems and Prose about the Latino Experience by Alma Flor Ada
A wonderful, engaging book concept. A poem/story in verse is followed up by historical information about all the varied cultural groups that fall under the Latino/Hispanic umbrella. 


Picture books that stood out in the pile:

Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Tim Miller
Snappsy the Alligator is none too happy when an annoying narrator follows him around describing his every move. Breaking the fourth wall all up in this book. Loved it! 


I'm Sunny! by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm 
Board book comics! Yes! :D


I finished reading with my ears:

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson 
Lawson's first book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, was so funny I found myself laughing to the point of tears. Furiously Happy is more of the same, which is why it didn't feel as funny as the first time around -- because it didn't feel any different, just more of the same. However, Lawson's frank discussions about her mental illness are what make this book more than just her senseless stream-of-consciousness and what ultimately made it worth the read.  


Currently reading:

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle 


Currently reading with my ears:

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews 

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

The Wilhelm Gustloff was pregnant with lost souls conceived of war. They would crowd into her belly and she would give birth to their freedom. But did anyone realize? The ship was christened for a man, Wilhelm Gustloff... He had been the leader of the Nazi Party in Switzerland. 

He was murdered. The ship was born of death. 

It's January 1945 and Germany is facing a swift Soviet advance. Desperate refugees flock to the coast to board ships that will lead them to safety. This is the story of four refugees whose circumstances bring them together as they seek shelter and freedom aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff.

In Salt to the Sea, Ruta Sepetys does just as she did in Between Shades of Gray -- brought to light a moment in history that no one ever knew about. In this case, it's the biggest disaster in maritime history. Told in short chapters via four characters' alternating points-of-view, this book will leave you staying up late into the night to finish as you say to yourself, "Just one more chapter." And, as an added bonus, Sepetys managed to connect this story to Between Shades of Gray so that is an exciting moment in the story when the reader comes upon that realization.

I have had the pleasure of hearing Ruta Sepetys talk many times and hearing her talk about her research process is always nothing short of inspiring. It was no different for Salt to the Sea. This week she visited Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor and to a full house, she had the audience rapt listening to her tell the stories of survivors, family members, and of divers who have gone down and experienced the Gustloff first hand. But even more inspiring than her research process was what she said about why she writes about forgotten history. It's actually in the author's note in the back of the book:

History divided us, but through reading we can be united in story, study, and remembrance. 

I hope Sepetys keeps researching, studying, and uniting us all through story for years to come.

Hear Sepetys talk about Salt to the Sea:


Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Published: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Philomel
Pages: 400
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Disclosure: Advance reader copy acquired at the NCTE convention in November

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 2-8-16

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.


I finished reading: 

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo  
I have a feeling this will be one of those books that will grow in fondness the more that time passes, but as of right now, I'm feeling kind of "meh" about it. I liked the characters of Raymie, Beverly, and Louisiana, but something in the story felt lacking to me. 


Picture books I enjoyed last week:

Mo's Mustache by Ben Clanton
Mo learns that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. 


How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens
The story and illustrations made this book feel like a book that was published 50 years ago instead of 4 years ago. The retro feel was both joyful and hip. 


The Poem that Will Not End by Joan Bransfield Graham, illustrated by Krysten Brooker
A wonderful book that not only explores all kinds of poetic forms, but also tells a story. I'm adding this to my classroom library wishlist! 


Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Yuyi Morales
An important story, beautifully told and illustrated
  

Currently reading:

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys


Currently (still) reading with my ears:

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson  

It's Monday! What are you reading? 2-1-16

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

I skipped out on posting last week because, oh boy, was it a crazy week! We had six showings on our house, all of which gave not very much notice, so we had to figure out what the heck to do with the dogs in a short amount of time. But it was all worth it because it resulted in THREE offers, one of them was sight unseen! So it looks like this moving to Ann Arbor thing is really going to happen.

So this post will be based on what I've read over the past two weeks.

On my teaching blog, I reviewed:

Write What Matters: For Yourself, For Others by Tom Romano


I finished reading with my ears:

Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague
This is one of those books that didn't receive much buzz, but it is a delightful middle grade novel that is accessible to all kinds of readers.


Picture books I enjoyed:
 
Rain! by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christian Robinson
A story to show how other people's attitudes can affect others. A perfectly delightful heartprint book.


I Am Yoga by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds 
A book that is so beautiful and calming, I'm considering buying it for myself and reading it when my anxiety is getting the better of me.  

 
My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood by Tameka Fryer Brown, illustrated by Shane W. Evans
A great book to pair with The Crossover, as it has a similar kind of hip hop vibe and groove to it.  


Currently reading:

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo  


Currently reading with my ears:

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 1-18-16

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.


I thought with finally finishing grad school I would have more time for leisure reading. Except I forgot the part about buying a new house and trying to sell our current condo. So yeah. reading continues to remain on the backburner. I did manage to read a few picture books last week though. These are the ones I enjoyed the most:

Mixed Me! by Taye Diggs, illustrated by Shane W. Evans
I loved the illustrations and liked the text for the most part. It lacked cohesion and flow in a few places, but overall I really liked this book.


Little Tree by Loren Long
A beautiful, simple story about knowing when it's time to let go so you can grow.  


Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins 
Hilarious! A definite must-read to students! 


Currently (still) reading:

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
I have a confession to make: I've only read like 2 pages of this book so far. I need to get serious about reading it, especially because Sepetys is coming to Michigan in February!


Currently (still) reading with my ears:

Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague
I'm really enjoying this audiobook so far. I love the dual narrators. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 1-11-16

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

Happy ALA Youth Media Awards day! Yesterday I wrote my predictions for winners.  I was also the guest poster on Nerdy Book Club yesterday: Top Ten Books That Colored My Whitewashed World.

Last week I finished reading:

Night on Fire by Ronald Kidd 
A solid, page-turning novel about the Civil Rights era and the Freedom Riders

I finished reading with my ears:

Juba! by Walter Dean Myers  
I just didn't connect with this one. I have a feeling I was missing some things by listening to the audio as opposed to reading the book, although the audiobook narrator was entertaining to listen to.


Picture books I read last week:
 
Water is Water by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Jason Chin
Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Matt Davies
Meet the Dullards by Sara Pennpacker, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri


Currently reading:

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys


Currently reading with my ears:

Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague