Sunday, January 28, 2024

GIVEAWAY

 Thank you for reading my blog posts about selkokirjat. I hope you have found some useful information and some good books to add to your TBR. Thanks to your comments for sharing if you have read them or own them. It's great to hear from everyone, especially around the world!

I just posted about Tarhapäivä by Eve Hietamies / Hanna Männikkölahti. I happen to have two copies of the book. I'd like to give away my extra copy (a 30€ value, in mint condition) to someone who'd like to read it or share it with a selkokirja reader.

To participate in the giveaway, 

1) leave a comment under this post, stating in what country you live

2) send an email to selkokirjatinreview@gmail.com with the heading TARHAPÄIVÄ GIVEAWAY and a short message about selkokirjat - why you would like to win, what selkokirjat you have read, why do you like selkokirjat, etc.


I'll keep this giveaway open until MARCH 31, 2024.


Terms and Conditions: You must be 18 years old or older to enter. One entry per person. If your email to me does not match the requirements in section two, it will be deleted and disqualified. If your email contains attachments, it will be deleted and disqualified.  I will choose a winner randomly and contact them via e-mail in April. If you live in the Helsinki-Espoo-Vantaa, I'd be happy to drop the book off in person at a public location. If you live outside the tri-city area, I will mail the book to you by post. This giveaway is open internationally, I will post the book if you live outside of Finland.  If I have not heard from a winner by May, I will donate the book to a library or school. 

Thank you and happy reading!

Tarhapäivä (#2) - Eve HIetamies / Hanna Männikkölahti

Tarhapäivä #2 - Eve Hietamies / Hanna Männikkölahti

STORY: Father Antti Pasanen is back at work and little Paavo is now five years old! Paavo is now in daycare, and Enni and Terttu remain good friends with the boys. They even go over vacation together to Cyprus. 

This is the second book in the series, the first being Yösyöttö (read my review here). While it is a sequel and involves many of the same characters, this book can be read also as a standalone. The first couple of chapters provides a summary of the first book.


LANGUAGE: Set in Helsinki in the near present, mostly told from father Antti's perspective. This book is 178 pages long, but the chapters remain short at only a couple of pages or so. There are black and white illustrations throughout. If you have read Yösyöttö or other full length adult selkokirjat, then you should be comfortable reading this book also. 

I rated Yösyöttö a B1+ language level recommendation and I suggest the same for this book.


CHARACTERS: Antti is a 45 year old single father. Pia, Paavo's mother, lives on her own, but is unable to take care of herself due to mental health issues. Paavo is 5, but seems to be developing slower than his good friend Terttu. Enni is a single mother who we met in book one and her daughter is Terttu. We also see familiar characters from book one, such as Antti's family and meet new characters.

A character list is provided in the front of the book.


WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: If you are like me and read the first book, you'll want to get your paws on this second book. It's just as good as the first book, if not better in certain ways, now that the children are older. If you haven't read the first book, I recommend you pick it up. If it's not available, the definitely read this one. The trials and tribulations of a single father are often hilarious and many things the kids say belong on one of those ,Out of the Mouths of Babes, television shows. And what happens when two five year olds are brought together? I really enjoyed this book and hope you do too! 

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Rambo / Nadja Suomanen selkomukautus Riikka Tuohimetsä #gift

 


YA. Summer cottage. Family.



STORY:  Rambo (yes, his real name) and his mom go to her new boyfriend's cottage for the summer.  Rambo has just finished eighth grade, has ADHD and lives alone with his mom. Mom Anna is depressed and switches boyfriends all the time.

This is a nice read for summer or spring. 

LANGUAGE: short chapters, big font, lots of white space. Each chapter begins with title description of chapter. Character list at the beginning of the book. Set mostly at summer cottage by a lake with a small village nearby. Near present.

Although the book discusses heavy topics, such as depression, the content is very pre-teen / teen friendly. Because this is a book for teens, it's not an easy read nor does it have illustrations. Neither it is a difficult read in terms of vocabulary and grammar, therefore I recommend this to B1 readers and up to ages 12+. 


WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK:
This is a very fun book and it's great to get to know Rambo and all the other characters, their strengths and flaws. This is a great book to read and dream of summer vacation, sunshine and free time. I think teen readers will enjoy this as a nice, simple read with nothing heavy on the plate. Teachers and librarians will appreciate this as a book for upper grade readers as a go to read, regardless of reading background. 

Thanks to the author, Riikka Tuohimetsä for providing this book as a gift to Selkokirjat in Review.

If you'd like to send a book for review, please contact me at selkokirjatinreview@gmail.com.

HAPPY READING!

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Päivänselvää : Terveystieto / Sakari Kilkki

 


Nonfiction. Health. Workbook,

DESCRIPTION: Similar to other books in the Päiväselvää series, this book contains chapters on different topics with exercises at the end. This book focuses on health, including nutrition, exercise, sexual health, drugs and alcohol and mental health. 

LANGUAGE: The beginning of each chapter features a note to teachers. Next follows subchapters of various length. Each subchapter features large text, lots of white space and black and white illustrations. At the end and throughout each chapter are exercises on reading comprehension and grammar. Many chapters also include a list of links for further information at the end. This book is intended for older teens and adults and can be used both in schools and in free time. I recommend this for B1 level and above, but feel free to have a go at specific topics if you are not quite a B level.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: Chances are, if you are an older teen or adult, you have already learned about the content in this book in your home country. Therefore, it's important to review the content and learn new vocabulary. The workbook questions are valuable to test your reading comprehension and grammar. If you use this book in a classroom setting, great. But if not, it's worth still reading in your free time. This is the second Päivänselvää book I have read and both have been great.


Sunday, January 29, 2023

Kerron Suomesta / Sakari Kilkki #sponsered

 


Nonfiction. Finland culture and history. Workbook.

DESCRIPTION: In this book, "I'll tell you about Finland," we meet Mei (right), a young woman from China who has just arrived in Finland and is staying for two weeks. She meets Elli (left), a Finn, who she met online and who is going to give her a broad tour of the country. 

LANGUAGE: This is a workbook that's broken down in to chapters and section on various topics, such as history, politics, health, customs, traditions, celebrations, nature and more. At the end of each chapter is a page of exercises, where the readers can fill in the blanks or answer questions based on the chapter they just read. Each chapter is around 3 pages, with each section being around 1-2 pages in length. The font is large, the paragraphs are short and there are lots of photographs and illustrations. There is no dictionary, but if you already own a grammar book and have access to a dictionary (www.sanakirja.org), then this is a great book for A level students. The grammar may be difficult to very new readers, but A level readers can understand paragraph by paragraph, page by page by understanding the words. B level students would benefit from this book by reading the book more intensively and studying the grammar. Because of this I recommend this book to A - B level students of all levels.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: This is a great book for all readers interested in Finland. For those looking to learn more about the country or visit Finland for a short time, this will give a great overview of the country and people. For those already living here, this is a great workbook for those just learning Finnish and as well as those who already have a solid footing of the language under their belt. Seeing the country from the perspective of both a Finn as well as a visitor from another country very different from Finland provides great insight to readers. Also, if the reader is uninterested in the workbook aspect and exercises, these can be left aside, as there is plenty of text and information in the book as a whole.

5/5

Thanks to Opike for generously providing this book for review! You can purchase this book and more from their website, www.opike.fi. #sponsored

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Kiepaus / Vuokko Hurme, selkomukautus Hanna Männikkölahti #gift


 Middle grade. Spec fic. Chicken.

STORY: 10 year old Lenna lives in the city of Kardum with her mother, father, little sister and chicken. Everyone gets around by using cables and zip lines because the world is quite literally upside down.

This is a very original plot that's not too heavy on the sci-fi and is great for the imagination. 


LANGUAGE: This is a longer middle grade book at just over 100 pages, but there are short chapters, big font, wide margins, lots of white space and black and white illustrations throughout. Essential illustrations are a map of the city, a map of the block building where Lenna lives and character profiles. The vocabulary is not difficult and new words for readers are likely ones they'd come across in daily life. 

Because of the dystopian plot that requires some world building and book length, I would recommend this to B level readers - those beyond Emma ja Eetu but standard middle grade books are just beyond reach.


CHARACTERS: Lenna, a girl, likes pancakes made from flies and eggs, fresh water and practicing zip lining in empty apartments. She's never touched the ground, the sun is below her and she has to be careful around open windows, because if she would fall out, she would disappear for good.

Cheers for Newton the chicken.


WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: If you are looking for a selkokirja that has more depth than an average easy reader book, this is it. The imagined world is amazing and readers can try to imagine what daily life would be like while living in a world tipped upside down. If adult readers have read any of Hanna Männikkölahti's other books, such as Yösyöttö, the illustrator is the same (Ina Majaniemi) and the book provides the same cozy reading moments. This book is thrilling but not scary and Lenna shows her maturity as well as her childish innocence. 


Thanks to the author, Hanna Männikölahti for providing this book as a gift to Selkokirjat in Review.

If you'd like to send a book for review, please contact me at selkokirjatinreview@gmail.com.

HAPPY READING!




Monday, June 27, 2022

Vaarallinen Juhannus / Tove Jansson, selkomukautus Jolin Slotte #sponsored

Middle grade. Moomins. Juhannus.

STORY: On a hot summer day, the Moomins enjoy their afternoon on the porch in a rocking chair or near the pond. When floodwater begins to come and enter the Moomin's house, they all begin to wonder what kind of Midsummer will they have.

Another classic Moomin tale that introduces some famous characters 

LANGUAGE: The book is just over 100 pages. There are 12 chapters, with sections broken down between scenes and dialogue. Lots of black and white illustrations are included, which help with potential new vocabulary. The atmosphere and setting are important in this book, alongside character behavior and individual character storylines.

While this is a kid's book, a lot of complex events and scene changes happen in the book. I definitely encourage any reader A1.1 and up to try out a chapter, I would suggest this book as a whole more for level A1.3 and above. While there are repeating words as the story progresses, a lot of new vocabulary is added in even halfway through the book.

CHARACTERS: A character guide is included in the front with all of the major characters in the book. This is very helpful to refer to, especially when certain characters do not appear or are unveiled until later in the book.

If you collect the Muumin chocolate eggs during Easter, you may recognize some of the side characters!

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: The Moomins are a Finnish classic and it's worth reading at least one book in the series. This is a fun book to read in spring, right around Juhannus and to compare and contract modern Midsummer to the Moomin's version. This book is a great way to meet new side characters and the enjoy the original characters and their own quirks. There's some good vocabulary especially related to weather and the theatre.

Thanks to Opike for generously providing this book for review! You can purchase this book and more from their website, www.opike.fi. #sponsored