Let's Do Nothing!

Gotta love it!  There's no excuse not to thoroughly enjoy this book!  Even though the characters are boys, I can actually imagine my husband and anyone of his friends playing this exact same game and having the exact same reactions.  Maybe it is a boy thing that they never grow out of.  Either way, it is great fun for little kids and big kids!  Here's a taste of the book for ya.

I honestly can't read this without laughing.  My kids are wondering what is wrong with me because they can't understand how I can be laughing and having tears run down my face at the same time.  I think that Tony Fucile deserves to win lots of awards for this book!  It is so much fun that it would be a pitty if it didn't become really popular and a huge bestseller!

It is late and my supreme powers of persuasion are at an all time low so I will end by saying, PLEASE trust me, this is an incredible book!  Go get a copy, I'll be here...doing NOTHING!

Ten Little Elvi & If Mom Had Three Arms

Do your little ones need help with numbers?

Voila!

So I grabbed these books from the library because they looked like fun.  Not hoping to gain any educational support from them, but it turns out they are both great counting books.  Not lame, here-is-the-number-3-and-oh-look-three-oranges, kind of counting books either!  These are fun, make you laugh, keep your kids interested, counting books!

These both should have probably had their own entry because they are really great but I was too excited to wait and then I didn't want to play favorites so they are debuting on my site together :).  The Ten Little Elvi book is so fun, even for non-Elvis fanatics it is fun.  Laura Henson and Duffy Grooms did an excellent job writing this and Dean Gorissen makes it so entertaining with his lively pictures.

The If Mom Had Three Arms book is very thought provoking for those of us who are continually wishing we had another few arms.  After reading this I've decided two is less freaky looking so I'll stick with two, even if I am less productive this way.  Karen Kaufman Orloff did an excellent job coming up with ways you could use up to TWENTY arms...just in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you have eighteen extra arms and don't know what to do with yourself.  Pete Whitehead makes this a lot of fun with his wild and crazy pictures.  Plus it is fun to hunt for the actual number on each page.

So if you have a hankering for counting, these are the books for you (or your little ones, whoever needs help with the counting the most :)! )

OTIS

Otis is an incredible book.  It is a story about true friendship and love taught by a little old tractor named Otis.  Loren Long did an incredible job with the illustrations and the story.  There is an old time feel to the pictures and in my opinion it makes it all the more endearing.

It is a great story for boys and girls alike.  I thought my boys would like it because of the little tractor, however, my daughter requests it even more than they do.  When my two year old looked over my shoulder just now and saw the picture from the cover of the book he squealed, "OTY!" and then snuggled in next to me as I browsed Loren's web page.

If you go to his page there is a fun youtube video about Otis, coloring pages and activities from the book, and other art sketches that didn't make it into the book.

I love books that are entertaining while teaching values and this definitely fits the bill!  Enjoy!

Mimi and Lulu Three Sweet Stories, One Forever Friendship

You'd think by looking at the cover that this would be a book only for girls.  You'd be wrong...my boys, myself, and my daughter love this book.  My boys like it because there are cupcakes(any food would have done) and blocks in it.  My daughter loves it because there is lots and lots of pink and purple.  I love it because it is extraordinarily funny and the three stories are really short! 

Charise Mericle Harper did an excellent job with this book.  My favorite story is the one with the phone.  You'll see what I mean when you read it.  It is hilarious!  I actually think I need to take some tips on handling crazy kids from Lulu.  Check out Charise's page, she has a book coming out January 18th called Cupcake!

I'm going to schedule a flying pink elephant ride now so I'll catch you later!  Happy Reading!

Fritz Danced the Fandango

Just the title alone makes you want to read this book.  With illustrations that are comical and extremely kid friendly and dialogue that is as fun as it gets, there is really no chance of going wrong with this book.

Alicia Potter does an excellent job of telling a story about a unique mountain goat in search of a herd that he can Fandango with.  I love the characters that he comes across as well as their unique talents.  It makes reading this a lot of fun!  (Especially when you get to Yodel, not something I have an excuse to do everyday!)

My kids love the bright and lively illustrations.  They are a perfect fit for this book.  Ethan Long has illustrated a HUGE number of books and if you click his name it will take you to his blog which is fantastic.  There are fun facts about him and some of his art is on there as well.

I will end this post with a direct quote from my daughter Sydney, "Mom, we are going to read about Fritzy tomorrow night too, huh?  'Cause we love to Fandango don't we?!"

Oh yes, we love to Fandango!

Princess Peepers

So I once wore glasses but I was anything but a princess.  What you are about to see may change your opinion of me forever.  You may feel sick to your stomach or laugh until you are sick to your stomach.  Either way, prepare yourself because the following picture is quite disturbing...

Well now that you have seen the worst picture of me ever, here's a story that is very special to me:

I love this book because there were several times while I was growing up that I was too embarrassed to wear my glasses and missed out on things because of it.  For instance, I went to a New Kids On The Block Concert and refused to wear my geeky glasses and as such missed pretty much all of it from where I sat in the balcony.  I was afraid that maybe I would be seen by the NKOTB and they would laugh at my glasses :).

 Princess Peepers is also embarrassed by her glasses and almost misses out on getting to dance with Prince at the ball because of it.

This book is very well written and completely hilarious.  Pam Calvert does an excellent job of making glasses COOL again!  Speaking of cool, if you are a prince or princess with peepers you can get your picture on Pam's website (see the section for kids for details).  Also check out Pam's blog for more fun humor and info about Pam.

Tuesday Mourning is the illustrator of this charming book and illustrator of other fun and crazy books like Billy & Milly, Short & Silly.  She also has a great blog that I encourage you to take a peek at!

So grab your favorite pair of peepers so when you read Princess Peepers you don't miss anything!

Jumpy Jack and Googily

This book is one of my all time favorites.  I have checked it out from the library so many times it is becoming comical.  (I would just buy it but until I either get a book published or do amazingly well in the stock market...my play money account is in the negative :)!)

This book is written so incredibly well and it is just hilarious!  Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall have created a truly amazing children's book!  I have read this book over and over and neither myself or my children tire of it.  I love the dialog between this scaredy-snail and the cool-as-a-cucumber monster.  The only thing more fun than the dialogue is perhaps the irony that the illustrations add to the story. 

I think it is fitting to start this new year out with an amazing book!  I guarentee that you will not be dissappointed.