{"id":5146,"date":"2020-07-12T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2020-07-12T06:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5146"},"modified":"2020-07-11T12:57:47","modified_gmt":"2020-07-11T18:57:47","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-699-featuring-julie-volk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5146","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #699: Featuring Julie V\u00f6lk"},"content":{"rendered":"


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“I know it might take a little while.
But that’s okay\u2014I can wait.”<\/em><\/center>
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\nSepideh Sarihi’s<\/a><\/strong> My Favorite Memories<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Blue Dot Kids Press, August 2020) is a truly international affair. This story comes from an author born in Iran, who has lived in Germany for nearly a decade now. Illustrator Julie V\u00f6lk<\/a><\/strong> is Austrian, and the book was translated from the German by the award-winning translator Elisabeth Lauffer. The original German-language edition of this book was released in 2018. <\/p>\n

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“I was brushing my hair when Papa came in and told me we were moving,” the book opens. “Mama was very excited. Papa too.” They give their daughter, who narrates this story, a suitcase and tell her they’ll fly in a plane to their new home in another country. The girl is stumped, because she is told to only pack her “most favorite things,” but they are all things that don’t quite fit snugly into a small suitcase \u2014 her aquarium; the wooden chair her grandfather made for her; the pear tree outside of their house; the bus driver, who always sings songs; and the very ocean. It’s also not possible to pack her best friend, who is “always such a good listener.” The girl tells her parents she can’t join them on their trip, since she can’t pack her favorite things. But while visiting the shore, she devises a solution (which I won’t spoil for you). The ocean is everywhere, after all. <\/p>\n

It’s a gentle, empathetic story about acclimating to big change, not to mention a story about creative problem-solving, and about a child’s understanding that some things are carried in one’s heart or mind. V\u00f6lk’s delicate, fine-lined drawings play with size and scale in creative ways, as you can see below, and feature a limited, but warm, palette of primarily blue, yellow, sage, and rose hues. <\/p>\n

Here are some spreads from the book. …
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\n<\/a>
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“‘We’ll fly in an airplane to another country and
live in a new house there,’ said Papa.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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\n<\/a>
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“They gave me a new suitcase, so I could pack.
Mama said I could only take my most favorite things.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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\n<\/a>
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“I told Mama that, in that case, I couldn’t come.
Then I sadly walked down to the ocean.
The ocean was also one of my favorite things.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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\n<\/a>
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“Here in our new home, we don’t live as close to the ocean.
Papa gave me a bike, so I can ride to the shore every day.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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\nMY FAVORITE MEMORIES. Original English-language edition \u00a9 2020 Blue Dot Publications LLC. Original English-language edition translation \u00a9 2020 Elisabeth Lauffer. German-language edition originally published in Germany under the title <\/em>Meine liebsten Dinge m\u00fcssen mit \u00a9 2018 by Beltz & Gelberg, in the publishing group Beltz-Weinheim Basel. Illustrations reproduced by permission of Blue Dot Kids Press, San Francisco.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
<\/center><\/p>\n

1)<\/strong><\/font> Learning new skills. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> Study buddies. <\/p>\n

3)<\/strong><\/font> New projects. <\/p>\n

4)<\/strong><\/font> “Lucida” by Thomas Bartlett:
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