The Night Pirates

This summer my son had a Pirate Birthday Bash.  It was big and "piratey" and we read A LOT of pirate books all month to become pirate sauvy enough for the big day.  The Night Pirates was one of the many awesome books that helped us get our "ARRRGH!" on.

I have to say the thing I loved best about this book was that the pirates were girls, cute girls, SMART girls that out-smarted the adult men pirates.  Coolest twist on a pirate story ever!

I pretty much had it memorized after two short weeks due to my kids non stop requests for it.  I actually grounded my kids from this book for a day because they were acting so poorly.  What do you want from me, this book was the only thing that would serve as a good punishment for all of them.  I swore I would never ground my kids from something that was "good" for them but being a parent is all about doing those things you swore you'd never do (i.e. I will never say, "You're the oldest and you should've known better".  I say it EVERY day.)

Enough about me...let's talk about Peter Harris and Deborah Allwright.  Check them both out via the links.  They have many other books that look like a load of fun as well. 

Little Rabbit and the Meanest Mother on Earth

It's nice to know that Little Rabbits have mean moms too!  I was beginning to think my kids were the only ones cursed with a mean mom.  "Mom, you're SOOOOOO mean!" is their battle cry.

I can only aspire to be as cool as Mother Rabbit someday.  I wish I could pull off her tricks!  Little Rabbit is cursed with a mom mean enough to be a circus act, but man can she clear a messy room faster than most moms.

Kate and Sarah Klise (who I'm sure are NOT mean) are the masterminds behind this fun and clever story.  The pictures are entertaining and the story line is quite inventive with a little twist at the end.  So if you are looking to prove that you are not the only mean mom alive, grab this book!  Your kids may appreciate you and their toys more by the end.

The Monster Princess

Who doesn't love a good princess story that doesn't involve prince charming or a fairy godmother?!  ME!  (I love a children's book that reminds me of what is really important in life.)  Sometimes after the unmagical life I've lived, I find it hard to read stories to my daughter of girls that twitch their noses and life takes a turn for the best.  Come on, I just want what every realist wants, a story that is entertaining, filled with woodland creatures, princesses, castles, royal balls, and honest to goodness life lessons.

This book was quite refreshing and I was totally enchanted with the illustrations by Alexandra Boiger.  D.J. MacHale, the author, is amazing!  You won't want to miss the Monster Princess activities on the website either.  Just in case any of you will be vacationing in Southern California (Oceanside to be exact) around October 2nd...drop by Barnes and Noble to see the author. 

Hmmm, do you think my husband would approve a trip to California for my birthday (Oct. 4th)?  I mean technically, since I share my birthday with my three year old son who also loved this book, I could say it is what Josh asked for!  Run and check out this book while I go check out Travelocity!

Dragon Stew

It has been awhile since I've....laughed this hard, loved a book THIS much, or updated my blog.  The first time I read this book I was laughing and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Upon finishing it I asked my kids, "So what did you think?"  My middle child answered, "Ugh! Mom, you don't laugh like that 'cause it's not funny!  It's really long and you were laughing in my ear."  Can you imagine my disappointment?  A book I wanted to read over and over and over wasn't my kids' favorite!

Fast forward two weeks later, my previously mentioned son, using his own free will, picked this story for bedtime.  I was trying to hurry through because I had gotten a late start on bedtimes.  My son stops me and turns the page back, "Mom, you forgot to say the 'OKAY!' part!" as he points to a small word bubble.  He can't read, so I am pretty sure he has just memorized the book and that's how he knows I missed that spot.

Steve Smallman and Lee Wildish did a fantastic job with not only an amazingly fun rhyming story but incredibly fun pictures to go along with it!  The flow of rhyming in this book is just outstanding, I marvel at it every time I read it.  I love the illustrations of the vikings and the proper dragon!  I think one of my new school year goals will be to memorize this book so that whenever I'm in a bad mood (like tonight after helping kids with two hours of homework) I can recite it to myself and be all chipper, cheery again.

If I Built a Car

My prayers have finally been answered!  I went through such a rough patch with books that I wasn't sure if I would find a book in time to write my next post.  This last week, however, I must have meandered out of the "Parental Torture" section in our local library and into the "Hallelujah!" section.  I have such a huge stack of awesome books to share and this is at the top of them.

If I Built A Car is by Chris Van Dusen, author of the Mr. Magee and Mercy Watson books.  So needless to say I knew I would love the illustrations and I was expecting to like the book.  "Like" is such a feeble word when describing how I feel about this incredibly funny and entertaining book!  I adore this car and wish it really existed, not that I could afford it but the dents in my front and back bumper can attest to the fact that I deserve...no, NEED this car!  Plus, can I tell you how many times I have been driving in town and the warm sun mixed with my usual sleep deprivation and an added unusual silence coming from kids in the back seat have had me all but falling asleep at the wheel?  I could totally use a robot to take over while I snoozed on the couch (most likely a standard feature on all models)! 

I will admit that there are drawbacks to this book.  There has been fighting and massive shedding of tears over who got to have this book for bedtime, a minor inconvenience really considering what follows the temper tantrums is silent, content children...sniffling away....while I read this brilliant book!

When I Grow Up

Okay, okay...how could you go wrong with a book written by Al Yankovic? 

This is honestly one of my favorite books ever!

Did you know that I have only worked at a mere fourteen different jobs and only switched my major when I was in college six times before deciding on what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Guess what? Since finally deciding to become a massage therapist I have dabbled in children's book writing, learned to successfully trade stock, taken up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu all while cultivating patience in my most important job, commonly referred to as MOM!  I thought maybe I was decisionally challenged or flighty but according to this book I'm normal!  Yep, you heard me right, NORMAL!

Reading this book is like winning a prize for having sat through all the less than superior books that my kids grab off the shelf at the library.  It is definitely one of those diamonds in the rough.  There is rhyming (my favorite), witty humor, hilarious pictures by Wes Hargis, and best of all a wonderful lesson to share with your kids.  I love that this book tells kids it is okay to do and be a million things as long as you are happy!

Well that's enough praise for one night...go find a copy...NOW! 

(Oh and in case you ever read this post Mr. Yankovic, I would love to have the recipe for Twinkies Au Gratin!  That's my kinda meal!)