More January Reading

I'm a children's/young adult librarian. So, yes, I read children's books. But here are two that even adults will like:

Drawing from Memory by Allan Say. A memoir from the award-winning children's author/illustrator. Why is it that in so many of the books and articles I've read recently, the children are abandoned at a tender age by their parents - who are divorcing or going through some other crisis - and left to their own devices? That these children choose their own destinies and overcome so much is a testament to their strength, and their survival skills. Allan Say approaches the cartoonist he admires and becomes his apprentice. The book illustrates his life in Japan, and the forces which shape his success. Read it!

Award-winning llustrator Ed Young could not have had a more different childhood than Allan Say. In The House that Baba Built, he was surrounded by loving family, and encouraged to be creative. This memoir recreates - through photos and drawings - his childhood home and memories.

The events of our childhood shape the adults we become. In my own observation, we either follow our parents' direction or run far from it!

Read the books, and enjoy the illustrations.

Tell me about the books you're reading, as well as those that have influenced you.

Have you realized your parents' expectations, or have you traveled very different roads?