Category: Hobbies and Sports

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Kickflip by LD Lapinski and Logan Hanning

We’re now into July, meaning that Pride Month is over. But I still have more amazing LGBTQIA+ books to talk about.

Soooooo, we’re going to start with the amazing comic that is Kickflip, by LD Lapinski.

Like Jamie – another of Lapinski’s books – this amazing graphic novel highlights the experiences of a non-binary young person as they learn to navigate an increasingly binary world.

Bullied for not conforming at their girls’ school, and presumed male on account of their hobbies, Elliot finds that neither label properly describes them. After some beautiful conversations with a very supportive mum, Elliot eventually finds the courage to talk about their identity to their closest friends.

Whilst the writing of this book is obviously superb (as is the case with all of Lapinski’s work), Hanning’s artwork in this one really takes it to the next level. The warmth, humour, and subtle storytelling in these comics really is a joy to engage with, and though I’ve only had the book for a few weeks, I’ve returned to it multiple times already, finding something new to love each time.

I’ve spoken before about how amazing the children’s comics scene is becoming, and Kickflip is definitely one to add to the canon.

Have you managed to get hold of this yet? What are your favourite children’s comics? As ever, I would love recommendations!

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I’ve set up a ‘bookshop’ of sorts, over on Bookshop.org, so that I can point you to somewhere to buy that isn’t Amazon. I get a small commission for any sales made there. This helps to support me running this blog. If you’d like to get your copy of Kickflip this way, please just click here. If you’d like to support me without buying a book, you can do so here. Thank you.

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The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan – Write Reads Blog Tour

To date, I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed the same book twice, but since Youngest wanted to review The Legendary Mo Seto the first time round, I jumped at the chance to add my own thoughts about the book to this second blog tour.

I’ve said already that everyone in my family – even my non-reading husband! – loved this book. Whilst we all enjoyed the plot, for me, the characters were what really made this story a special one. I loved the dynamic between Mo’s parents, and the way that each of her parents had a very different type of relationship with her – it’s one of those rare books where the family felt real rather than a cast of actors performing the set roles of mother and father. I loved that the adults in the books all had pasts – pasts which included hopes and regrets which impacted the way they dealt with the events of the plot.

And Gramps! I loved Gramps so much – I’ve been searching for such a long time for fictional older male characters who show love and sorrow in ways other than shutting their loved-ones out of their lives. For anyone (like me) who got wildly frustrated at Carl in Disney’s Up! for pushing Russell away, Gramps is the perfect antidote.

I loved the detail in the character building – that every film with Cody Kwan in was Mo’s favourite. I loved that Nacho drew a tattoo on his hand in Sharpie (who didn’t, as a teenager?!). I loved the complexity of Dax – Mo’s rival – and the way in which the author managed to tell so much of his story in a few pages, without it feeling like exposition. The dialogue there was *chef’s kiss*. I loved the way that Nacho’s family and Mo’s sort of bled into one another – the way that families do when children have known one another since the age of five.

The entire thing left me hoping for a sequel – I want to be able to go back and revisit these characters which feel real enough to come across as old friends.

And it has been a LONG time since any book made me feel that way.

Have you had the chance to read The Legendary Mo Seto yet? Do you know of any other books about martial arts movies that I can pass to the rest of my family who are absolutely hooked?

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I’ve set up a ‘bookshop‘ of sorts, over on Bookshop.org, so that I can point you to somewhere to buy that isn’t Amazon. I get a small commission for any sales made there. This helps to support me running this blog. If you’d like to get your copy of The Legendary Mo Seto this way, please just click here. Thank you for your support.

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The Usborne Write Your Own Story Book

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The Usborne Write Your Own Story Book was recently gifted to Daughter and not only am I seriously impressed by its contents,  I’m also a little jealous that I didn’t have a copy growing up.

I think what I like best about this book is how it manages to convey important elements of writing in a way that is simultaneously child-friendly and technical. It also manages to offer a range of activities for budding authors to practice on,  without making them feel like work-sheets.

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There’s a wonderful sense of fun to all of the suggestions – a cheekiness that Daughter just loves. I really like the fact that the reader is encouraged to write in the book, meaning that there’s a record of work to look back on at the end – it essentially becomes a DIY short story compilation. As someone who wrote prolifically as a child but who has few remaining examples,  I feel as though this will grow into a lovely keepsake. 

Which childhood hobbies have you maintained?  Are there any books out there to encourage more young people to engage in them?

Farn ❤

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Rosy’s Garden by Satomi Ichikawa

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Rosy’s Garden by Satomi Ichikawa should be a classic. I know that’s a pretty bold statement, but bear with me…

I happened upon our copy in a charity shop when Daughter was around two and ever since, we’ve read it regularly. In itself, this isn’t at all unusual. The difference between Rosy’s Garden and just about every other book, though, is that I have never once thought, “Oh, not again…” Time after time, this has been eagerly brought to me and time after time I’ve said – just as eagerly – “Ooh, good choice!”

At its core, the book chronicles the titular character’s summer holiday at her grandmother’s house. There’s no singular main event, nor is it a series of Milly-Molly-Mandy- esque episodes as I had first presumed on finding the book. The best description I can think of to describe the layout is a journal-cross-scrapbook. There are little notes about flower names, the language of flowers, how to make rose water, how Granny and Grandpa met, how to gather seeds…

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I think that’s what I love most about the book – the little snippets of information that is genuinely new and interesting. There are so very many books about planting a seed that grows into a flower but so few about the culture that surrounds our gardens and the things we plant. This book perfectly fills that gap.

And perfect as the writing is, the illustrations still manage to make it even better. Some of them look like botanical prints, they’re so accurate. But at the same time there’s so much character and warmth in them – so many details to spot.

The more I write about this book, the more I could write so I’m going to leave things here, before I get carried away. I maintain what I said though – this really should be a classic.

What’s your list of ‘would-be’ children’s classics?