Re: Reading challenges: sign-up and reviews
Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 2:47 am
Book: Jeff Kinney - Usla utsikter/Dog days
Challenges: TBR Pile, Books in translation, Bookshelf love, Mount TBR
Purchase details: in Akateeminen kirjakauppa in Helsinki, August 2014. It was one of the two best children's books I found in Swedish. (the best for language learners)
Learner's notes: I've recommended this author several times already. I like that the writing is in a diary format, and there are funny doodly drawings by the author himself. I think many children's books are expensive because the illustrations are high-quality and they're intended to be discussed with an adult. But language learners generally don't need elaborate illustrations
Representation notes: Heteronormativity, cissexism. Sexist stereotypes. Ageism
Other: Before this book I hadn't heard the term dog days. That's ironic given that the Russian word for school holidays is based on this concept (каникулы - kanikuly). It also makes sense when you remember Sirius Black from the HP books. And random but it's his birthday today - wonder if JKR originally intended for it to be during the "dog days" but had to retcon that.
Anyway, some of you know that I'm very scared of dogs and don't like them at all. The Swedish title doesn't refer to dogs and while browsing briefly I didn't notice that the boy gets a dog later in the book. I later realized this while adding the book on goodreads, and I was disappointed and expected this to be yet another "child really wants a dog and gets it" Fortunately it's completely different It's the boy's dad who wanted a dog, and the book portrays the reality of that very honestly and humorously