Oddly

I am not much of a sentimental person.  Even reading gushy birthday cards make me squirm!  I am happy to announce though that I read this whole book without getting squirmy!  This book has a theme so deep that I don't know if my kids fully get it but I do and appreciate Joyce Dunbar for finding the words to tell it and share it with us.  It is about three oddly characters and who find out what they are hoping for, wishing for, dreaming of...LOVE!  The meaning is not that simple but you'll have to read the book to truly appreciate all of it's meanings!  Joyce Dunbar has over 70 books and it shows in her expert command of words.

Patrick Benson did an excellent job of illustrating this book.  The characters are extremely easy to love and care for.  The colors and shapes of these three animals are fun and my kids LOVE THEM!

Definitely READ and Re-READ this book!

Mouse Was Mad

I wish I was reasonable enough to resolve my frustrations as smoothly as Mouse does!  In fact, after reading this very fun book the other day I decided I would try standing very still when I reached the heighth of my madness.  Turns out, standing very still only made the madness around me (three kids ages five and under) even madder.  It did make me laugh though that such a non agressive gesture would bring on such strong reactions.  I did follow Mouse's lead and locked myself in the bathroom for a nice warm "SPLASH" once I had calmed down.

This book is all about MADNESS.  Which makes it the perfect addition to my site.  I thought I had written the perfect book on Madness but it turns out that  Linda Urban did!  I love all the phases of mad Mouse goes through and I especially love watching him try to outdo himself with each one until he just runs out of things to do!  I think Linda Urban did a wonderful job of convincing small readers that there are better ways to handle MAD!  Everyone of my little readers loves this book and laugh at the end every time.

Henry Cole is an amazing illustrator.  Mouse and all his friends are just beyond cute!  If you want a list of incredible books to read, check out Henry's site because there are a ton of books that he has illustrated and they all look great.  He also has lots of fun games, puzzles, and coloring activities on his website so it is a fun one to visit with your kids!  Henry Cole has a new book that he wrote and illustrated coming out soon called A Nest For Celeste and it looks fantastic!  I can't wait to read it!

Go Back To Bed!

This book makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I read it.  Mostly because it warms my heart that other parents have children that use their highly imaginative brains to find ways of weaseling out of bed time after time after time.  But also because I get a sense of deja vu when I read these pages and see these pictures...almost as if I was once in Edwin's shoes...weird, huh!

I love the images that Ginger Foglesong Guy paints in your head with her words.  Her book has a great flow and rhyme to it that made it instantly a favorite of mine!  I found this book at our library about a year ago and after reading it I couldn't remember the name of the book.  All I could remember was Edwin Dupree and of course it wasn't named that.  After wasting half an hour of the librarians time trying to find it again she decided she had to read it for herself when I returned it.  She then read it for the library's story time and it was well loved.  You don't have to take my word for it but I wouldn't argue with a mob of thirty, 3-5 year olds that all agree that it is one great book.

The pictures are quite enchanting.  James Bernardin did an amazing job of pulling the readers into Edwin's world.  He did such a great job that you almost believe Edwin's side of the story!  My mouth waters every time I see the page filled with baked goods and I feel an undeniable urge to find a water park every time I see the page where the living room is floating.

You'll love this book no matter what age you are!  It may even give you a bit more patience with your little ones and their imagination!

Ode to New Moon

Okay...a little off my topic but I love reading books that are a little more complicated than a picture book every once in awhile.  I'm sure you do too and in case you have jumped on the Twilight bandwagon as millions of others have, here is a post that will make you think and laugh all at the same time.  It was posted by Molly O'Neil an editor that I met this last summer.  She is hilarious and has her own blog at 10blockwalk.blogspot.com. 

I myself am gearing up to view New Moon this weekend with my family and friends!  Can't wait!!

So go read this post and then I am dying to hear your very own Twilight/Opera renditions.

Please, please, oh please leave your verses in my comment section so I can sing along with you!

Billy & Milly, Short & Silly

Recently I was informed that my daughter has trouble rhyming.  Can you believe her teacher doesn't think that sock and mop rhyme :)!  At home though she does great.  We read all sorts of rhyming books and she MEMORIZES them and we think she knows how to rhyme.  Well I found this book and got it to help her with rhyming.  What I didn't expect though was that I would enjoy it so much.  It has great rhyming words so that your kids can practice and learn to rhyme but it also has several really funny rhyming stories so it is fun and easy to read to kids.

I think that Eve Feldman did a great job with this book!  I find it incredible that she was able to make stories out of four words or less!  (I dare you to try it...it is incredibly hard.)  If less is more this book is the MOST!  It is wonderful for all ages of kids and especially those just beginning to read who find larger books daunting.  It is wonderful for small kids with short attention spans as well.  I especially like the Tee, Bee, Flee story. 

I think Tuesday Mourning did a great job as well.  I love her illustrations.  She also illustrated another one of my favorite books, Princess Peepers.  Her pictures add even more humor, fun, and color to these short stories.  To see even more of her illustrations click here.

In parting I'd like to extend this invite:

Pick this book, it's just right!

Wrap your kid's up warm and tight.

Read this book and dim the light,

Give 'em hugs and say good night!

Or in other words:  Right  Tight  Light  Night!

I may be no authority on good books but most people consider a positive Kirkus review to mean a lot. Here is that review (see page 4). Here is another post by a fellow blogger about this fantastic book. Last but not least, you can become of fan of Billy and Milly, Short and Silly on Facebook just click here.

Dashing Dog!

"Horrors! He's seen it! He's off like a thunderbolt,
Trouble-quick, double-quick, devil-dog-dunderbolt."

This book is so fun to read!  It is not a new release by any means but it is a lot of fun no matter what age your kids are.  This dog reminds me of my kids, in fact.  Not even a second after a room has been cleaned or a mess cleaned up, or they've received baths and another mess or disaster is waiting on the horizon. 

The words that the author, Margaret Mahy, uses are so fun to say and inventive.  My youngest loves this book the best because he loves anything "doggy" and my oldest two think all the trouble the dog gets into is hilarious.  In general though, any Margaret Mahy children's book you read I'm sure you'll enjoy.  I've read several now and I have loved all of them.

Sarah Garland, the illustrator does a wonderful job of making this book fun and lively with her illustrations.  I love the bright colors and the expressions on the faces.

I NEED MY MONSTER

This book is simply FABAWESOMAZING! (I couldn't pick just one word to describe its coolness so you got three in one)  I could read this book over and over and love it more everytime.  It is so well written and the pictures are incredible.

The author, Amanda Noll, is super gifted.  I have reviewed a fair amount of books so far but without a doubt this one is beyond IMPRESSIVE.  Amanda Noll did a fantastic job of creating hilariously scary monsters.  I first looked at the small print and thought, uh-oh my two year old is never going to sit through this.  Guess what?  He sat through it, it didn't feel nearly as long as it was, and I was SAD, yes SAD, when it was over.  I can't remember the last time I loved a kids book so much that I wanted to take it from my kids and go sit in a cozy corner and read it on my own.

The illustrator, Howard McWilliam, is also very gifted.  The picture where the little boy is explaining that he needs a monster with claws is one of my favorites because it just so much character to the already amazing characters.

Tonight when I read this again to my five and three year old, we got to the end and Sydney, the oldest, said, "Mom that's scary!"
I asked, "What?!"
"The monsters are scary."
So we went back through all the pictures and laughed at how SILLY the monsters really are, if you look closely.  As we were doing this my son fell asleep.  We got to the last monster and Sydney was laughing.  Ryan woke up and said, "Mom, show me all the monsters again."  Then flopped back down on the pillow and promptly fell back to sleep.

So the overall consensus is, by the end of the day 4 out of 4 LOVED this book.  The real question is:

What is the name of the monster under your bed?

My monster's name is Lacey...cuz girls have to have a girl monster :)!

2009 GOBLIN OF GREATNESS AWARD GOES TO...

I'd like to thank everyone who participated in this year's Goblin of Greatness Contest.  I appreciate your time and opinions.   The winner of this year's Goblin of Greatness Award is...

....DRUMROLL PLEASE....

WHERE'S MY MUMMY?

Congratulations to John Manders and Carolyn Crimi for their addictive mummy tale that still has my kids begging me to read it even though Halloween is over and the candy is almost gone (yes, already!).