It’s hard to believe it’s March already! The first couple of months of 2021 turned out to be…shall we say…challenging? Of course I realized that things weren’t going to change drastically overnight with the turning of the calendar page, but I had high hopes for some return to normalcy. I do think we’re getting there. It just takes time. I’m going to cling to my optimism throughout the year and allow my faith to give me hope. And the year hasn’t started off all bad. I had two new books just release from Capstone Press! It’s always exciting to see a completed project in print!
I’m also happy to share that I’m sticking to my reading goals for this year. I’m current on episodes of the Bible in a Year podcast which means I’ve already read all of Genesis and Job, Exodus and Leviticus, parts of Proverbs and Psalms, and am currently reading Numbers and Deuteronomy. I have learned so much, and I can’t recommend this podcast enough! I’ve also read a cozy mystery, which was unfortunately a miss for me, a nonfiction book written by visionary Mirjana Soldo about her apparitions of the Blessed Mother in Medjugorje, and I just finished a terrific memoir by actress Maureen O’Hara about her life and career during the Golden Days of Hollywood. It proved to be funny and entertaining. I love her feistiness and her spirit!
In addition, I’ve been reading a lot of picture books for work, and today I’ll be reviewing a new picture book that I think needs to be read in every home and classroom in America. It’s called We Disagree by Bethanie Deeney Murguia. Truthfully, I’d love to see this book in the hands of several adults I know as well!
In We Disagree, a mouse and a squirrel are as different as can be. They don’t like the same snacks, the same music, the same animals, or the same colors. One prefers red while the other likes blue. Sound familiar? This book is an incredible example of how we can like different things and have different points of view yet still be friends and be civil to one another. No one has to agree on everything. Some of my closest friends and I have very different points of view on certain topics. But it doesn’t make them any less my friends. In the end, neither mouse nor squirrel comprises their beliefs. They simply agree that they like disagreeing and decide that a friendship can still be formed, even between one who likes red and one who likes blue.
I think We Disagree will proactively teach young kiddos the importance of agreeing to disagree but it will also teach them a lesson to carry throughout their lives, that they shouldn’t judge people based on their favorite color or anything else. I also think it could be a very helpful tool in explaining to kids the political tension that has exploded in our country. Make no mistake – they have been watching and listening. I can’t recommend this book enough – for kids and adults!
I’m not sure what I’ll be reviewing next, as I have a couple of books in progress and several on my reading list, including a library waiting list that should be available soon! I do often post quick reviews on my Goodreads and Instagram pages, so feel free to connect there if you’d like. Until next time, hold onto hope and happy reading! – Kait
Kaitlin Scirri