Cecil, the Pet Glacier by Matthea Harvey

Cecil, the Pet Glacier by Matthea Harvey, illustrated by Giselle Potter

Rating: 3 stars

This is truly one of the most bizarre books I've ever picked up…

(Reviewed for Washington Family Magazine)

Ruby Small is a normal little girl.  If we zoom out from a close-up of Ruby, we quickly see a family and a world that is full of wacky eccentricities. 

Her parents are definitely not-so-normal.  Together, they own a little shop called “Topiary & Tiaras: Sprigs and Sparkles;” Mrs. Small designs fancy tiaras while Mr. Small is a topiary gardener.  In the evenings Mrs. Small dons the glittery headdresses she creates by day and they “tango cheek to cheek” amidst his leafy creations.

Wanting to be just a little closer to normal, Ruby wants a pet.  She voices this desire while seated on an airplane to Norway—her parents didn’t hear her grumpy “no way” when Mr. Small told his girls that he wanted to go to China to see a rhinoceros made out of rosemary.  Her father heard “Norway,” not “no way.”  Norway seemed fantastic and different to her parents, so…off they go. 

Back to the pet: Her mom suggests a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish, her dad suggests a flea circus.  These are pets with quirkiness that would clearly fit right in.  

Of course, Ruby just wants a dog.  While sight-seeing in Norway, the family visits a glacier that is too large, and as they watch, it undergoes a process called “calving”—small pieces break off and float down the river.  One of those little pieces floats itself right over to Ruby (and the three Jennifers).  The family’s new pet has found them.  

To read the rest of the review, please click HERE.

Land of the Pilgrim's Pride by Callista Gingrich

Land of the Pilgrim's Pride by Callista Gingrich, illustrated by Susan Arciero

Rating: 3 stars

Halloween is barely over--you're probably still sick from eating too much candy--but I thought I'd throw out a book referencing our next holiday...Thanksgiving.  I'm a bit dumbfounded at the crazy-high rating this book gets on Amazon; I found it to be way too deep for the age range (5-8) it supposedly targets.  But...you decide!

Here's my review from Washington Family Magazine:

My children are all too young for serious history lessons.  Especially the youngest, at 19 months.  Like all of you, I still try to inject the older two (5 ½ and 4) with appropriately-sized bits of information whenever possible.  Through walks around the monuments, trips to historical place and dozens of books in between, they’ve picked up an impressive amount of information.  (Does knowing that Abraham Lincoln wore a top hat count?  Sure!)  

I expected Land of the Pilgrims’ Pride to fit alongside these trips of ours—to be nonfiction and educational, but geared to a young crowd.  I was right about nonfiction and educational, but should have paid more attention to the target age group for the book: ages 5 to 8.  There is a lot of information in the book.  My daughter, Lorelei, has an impressive attention span and is an advanced reader, and she soaked it up.  I was able to quiz her comprehension in a not-so-annoying way when today at the Air and Space Museum she overheard a girl tell a guide that she’d spent part of her winter break in Williamsburg.  

“Mom!  Williamsburg!  Like in the book!”  

I gave myself an imaginary gold star and patted her on the back.  (Maybe I should have patted her on the back first, but…that gives you a glimpse into my self-inflated psyche.)

To read the rest of the review--I actually do talk about the book--click here.

Holly's Christmas Eve by Wendy Watson

Holly's Christmas Eve by Wendy Watson

Rating: 3 stars

The last war memoir I read is too fresh in my mind to appreciate this book for what it is...

It starts off innocently enough...  All the ornaments on the tree come to life after bedtime.  They chit-chat a bit until Bad Cat leaps up and rustles the tree, causing Holly, a wooden doll, to lose an arm.  She is understandably distraught!  After the human chases away Bad Cat, in roars Vacuum Cleaner...who gobbles up Holly's arm!  She is understandably more distraught.

Hmmm.  Does the nutcracker then inject her with morphine and tell her everything is going to be just fine?  No, no...wrong book, Kate!

All of the ornaments then work together to locate the vacuum cleaner and recover the lost arm in the trash.  By the time they return to the tree, Santa is sliding down the chimney.  He magically repairs Holly's arm (who knew Santa was also a combat-ready medic?!) and the ornaments smile happily ever after.

Until they are deployed again.

Okay, not really.  That was just my ending.

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean

Rating: 4 stars

I love Pete the Cat.  I don't know what it is about him--his slinky coolness, his quiet head bob (not that he bobs his head in this book or the other books, but I just imagine him walking down the street, with lanky shoulders moving slowly and head bobbing to his own beat).  There is just something about him that I love, and his catchy songs that bring a grin--not just a smile--to all of our faces makes me appreciate him all the more.  I am thrilled that he's back!  (And there are two more books that are soon to be out, easy reader books.  Yay!)

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas is a twist on the traditional 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.  Santa is sick and considers canceling Christmas (gasp!) but they call Pete the Cat, and he comes to the rescue.  He has to do it in his usual cool way, so he hitches the reindeer to his hippy minibus, all filled with toys for all the good girls and boys (or, as my dad would say: none for the girls and all for the boys).  Pete thinks flying through the sky is "pretty groovy," but, like our old Golden Retriever, his expression doesn't change.

This book's refrain: "Give it your all, give it your all.  At Christmas we give, so give it your all."  It is less snappy and catchy than his other books, but appropriate for the season.

Pete is lauded a hero in the North Pole when he returns with his empty minibus, and he is proud of himself for accomplishing his mission.  "'I did it!' said Pete. 'And although I am small, / in the spirit of Christmas I gave it my all.'"

This is a great book for fans of Pete (that'd be our family) but probably won't attract heaps more followers on its own.  Those first three books are fantastic; if you've not read them just buy them all, like I did, so you always have a smile-raiser of a book on your shelf when you need one.

We are getting into the holiday spirit in our house...how about you?

If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier

If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier, illustrated by Lynne Avril

Rating: 3 stars

This morning I had the lovely and fun opportunity to catch up with my dear old dad.  (He's actually not that old, and has been wise for several decades.)  Just the two of us--our spouses stayed home, no grandkid interrupted us, I didn't have to share him with any Army pal.  It wasn't a total break from adulthood as our topics of conversation ranged from parenting to partnering, life after my stay-at-home stint to life after general-ship.  I can't tell you how lucky I feel for having the dad I have; my eyes are filled with tears and my heart is full of sadness for those who are, for whatever reason, without a dad.

Dad and I decided to spend the morning "hiking" around the Capitol.  It was an excuse to hang out together while taking in the sights and have a blessedly long time to talk.  Included in the many things we have in common: hiking at ridiculously fast paces, running stupidly long distances, and reading a crazy number of books.  Dad puts me to shame on this last one, but I have three little ones, and his two are grown.  So...maybe I'll catch up in a few decades!

Kate for President!

As we rounded the curve into the FDR Memorial, we saw a little bookstore for book-loving tourists.  Our conversation had already turned to books several times; I was worried we might stay in this warm little store looking at books for the rest of the morning instead of huffing around the mall in the chilly morning.  The children's section was pretty good, and I couldn't help but buy a few election books for our trio.

And this one--check out the cover--how could I NOT buy a book with Ben's name on it...literally?!  While a fine book to teach older kids about the Presidential election, Catherine Stier doesn't do a great job of making the many facts involved digestible for tykes, or at least served in small bites between an age-appropriate, engaging story line.

My other problem with this book is sort of silly: Every third or fourth page, the young Presidential candidate changes.  It is as if Stier couldn't decide whether the kid candidate should be black or white, a girl or boy, so she doesn't decide and throws them all in.  Ben and Lorelei were both confused.  But they listened happily anyway, and checked out the illustrations of debates, campaign signs, Capitol building, and Air Force One.  There is a  LOT of information on these pages!

I admit that finding this book and the others was not the highlight of my day.  You probably already figured that...

Having a beer with my Dad.

Spending the morning walking all around the monuments with my dad, chatting and laughing with him, crying a little and philosophizing about things much, much bigger than ourselves...  I am a very lucky daughter.  It was fun, too, to tell Lorelei and Ben (and Kiefer too) that I was hanging out with my dad for the day--that even as an adult I valued our relationship so much I was investing time away from my own family to strengthen that bond.  I sure hope one day, 30 years from now, they'll want to walk around the mall with me, listening and talking and questioning and laughing about all the wonderful and tough things in life.

My fingers are crossed (please, please, please let this wish come true!)...

Buzz Boy and Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

Buzz Boy and Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

Rating: 3 stars

Well, good news: this superhero book is not violent.  It is pretty silly, but not laugh-out-loud hilarious.  Maybe it was before the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems taught us what a really funny book was like...  But we've been ruined for life by those great books!  All other silly books are just...a little silly.  Like those cards that are in the "almost funny" category.

Anyway, this is just the first book of eight, and two of the ones we've ordered from the library have won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book award, so...  maybe this first one was a warm up for Tedd Arnold.  I'm happy to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Here's the story: a boy named Buzz writes a story about himself and his friend, who happens to be a fly.  In his story, he wakes up one day as the same size as his buddy, and finds that both of them are superheroes.  What fun!  They go on a silly adventure where their house was carried off by pirates and placed in a dragon cave (hate it when that happens).  To outsmart the pirates, they move the sleeping dragon, wake him, and use his flames to scare away the pirates.  I like the David and Goliath aspect to this.

The pictures are cute--the duo have enormous eyes and happy faces.  Ben and Lorelei both liked the book, but didn't love it.  I'm curious what the others are like...the rest of them are headed to our local library as I type!

I Will Not Read This Book by Cece Meng, illustrated by Joy Ang

I Will Not Read This Book by Cece Meng, illustrated by Joy Ang

Rating: 3 stars

Clearly this author knows kids, and she wanted a book that would sell.  She knew that if she told kids not to do something they would do it.  Has she met Ben?  Hmmm...

This book has a bunch of really cute illustrations about a boy doing anything but getting to the book-readin' time of night.  He stalls in some creative ways, using different parts of his room as fodder for his procrastination, but in the end finally realizes that he wants his mom to read the book with him.

That's it.  Not much more, really.  Cute, but no huge story to explain or think about or anything...

I think this was my most succinct review ever!

Round Is A Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Thong, illustrated by Grace Lin

Round Is A Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Thong, illustrated by Grace Lin

Rating: 3 stars

I couldn't pass up a book that was not just about shapes but also about China.  As an always-student of Asia--especially Southeast Asia--I'm interested myself and eager to open up that part of the world to my kids.  Thankfully diversity exists where we live, and Lorelei had two Chinese students and one Indian student in her class this past year.  So she likes to read about their cultures and explore it.  We're not ready to jump on a plane and head into Asia, so...books it is.

"Rectangles are inking stones /
Paintbrush racks and mobile phones"

In staying with the shape theme, we picked this book up and I like it.  It's another to add to the mix of getting my kids to look around them and notice the shapes of things.  There are just basic shapes in here--no parallelograms or hexagons.  And the things that take shape on the pages are all interesting, question-provoking things: rice bowl, cups of jasmine tea, name chops, tofu, radish cakes, dim sum, inking stones, money envelopes to name a few.

The rhyme is just okay for me--it's not exactly the selling point of the book.  The caption under the picture is a good example of this.  It's fine, but the inclusion of modern cell phones right alongside traditional inking stones seems odd to me.  Grace Lin's pictures adequately illustrates the words and shapes (we have seen some of Grace Lin's artwork before and I like it elsewhere more than here).  The best part of the book for me is definitely the connection to China and therefore Asia. Now I'm in the mood for some noodles...

Stomp, Dinosaurs, Stomp! by Margaret Mayo

Stomp, Dinosaurs, Stomp! by Margaret Mayo

Rating: 3 stars

We love Margaret Mayo's books--we check out one or more every other time we go to the library.  I just realized that I have only reviewed one-- Roar! --so I'll get on the ball and tell you about the others we've enjoyed soon.  In honor of my twin nieces' birthday month, the dinosaur book reviews continue...to Mayo's latest book.  This one isn't her best; the rhymes just seem to be a little more forced, to trip a bit instead of roll right along.

That said, Alex Ayliffe's illustrations are so toddler-friendly that the text could be an English teacher's nightmare and the book would still be worth checking out.  I like how the dinosaurs are torn-paper-versions of realistic dinosaurs.  The brightly colored dinosaurs and their prey (never other dinosaurs, though they do fight/wrestle with each other) just jump out at you, which is great for this read-aloud stage.

This is a good vocabulary book, too.  Words Lorelei learned include: gulp, whack (good as long as it's not your little brother getting whacked...and not in a Sopranos sense!), charge (not in the credit card sense), head-but, chomp, mash (helpful when we made mashed potatoes last night), guard, trap.  Not bad, and a nice change from Lorelei's favorite-of-the-moment books, the Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious series.  It's good to have a brother, I think!

Henry the Steinway: A Star is Born by Ally Coveleskie and Peter Goodrich

Henry the Steinway: A Star is Born by Ally Coveleskie and Peter Goodrich, illustrated by Laura Friedman

Rating: 3 stars

And now, from left field, a children's book about pianos, read by a family without any members who play a piano.

But Lorelei insisted that it looked like a good book the last time we were in the library, so we checked it out and read it a few times.  It's a little odd...the pianoes' faces are a bit quirky, a bit creepy if you asked me.  But there's a point to them: each piano is unique (I never knew that), even ones that were made at the same factory on the same day in the same style.  So, at concert halls, there's a whole brigade of pianos from which visiting pianists choose when they perform.  That's kind of neat.

The story is how Henry arrived at the family whose house is now his home, and also a story about how pianos are made.  I won't be checking out the sequel, but for those of you out there with budding pianists in the house, it might be worth reading.

Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition by Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda Bell

Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition by Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda Bell, illustrated by Coë Steinwart



Rating: 3 stars

Holy mass-marketing, Batman.

I tell you what, this mother-daughter author team is making a bundle this holiday season.  It seems that I can't turn around any store or look through any catalog without seeing this book advertised, pumped up, shouted about.  So, when our family stopped off at a bookstore last weekend, I snuck away from the pack (of course, I prearranged the sneaking off...there are few unilateral decisions I make in my life anymore) to read this book.  The kids are only vaguely aware of Santa and all that jazz, but...you can't be too careful these days.

In case you've not read the book yourself, it's about an elf that sits up on a shelf (duh) and watches over the kids in the house to make sure they're being good and therefore deserving of Christmas gifts.  There are all these rules attached to the elf--You can't touch it!  You can't talk to it!  Its magic might be tainted if that happens.  The book comes with your own little elf--I think his name is Fisbee but you can give him another name if you like (without any tainted magic). 

Honestly, I find the mass-marketing a bit annoying.  (Their website is so high-fallutin'...maybe I should be impressed but MAN they have put a lot of money into this!)  The fact that the sub-title is "A Christmas Tradition" rubs me the wrong way--here is a company telling ME what traditions MY family should have?!  And, as I stated above, we haven't once said to Lorelei and Ben that they need to be nice or else they won't get any gifts this Christmas.  I am sure that day will come, but...it's not here yet.

But then I went to said high-fallutin' website and read the story of the authors.  Aebersold explains that she grew up with this tradition, with an elf on her family's shelf, and soon other members of the family had elves on their shelf, and it really helped set the tone for Christmas--a quiet, subtle reminder rather than an angry, threatening one (probably said in a tired tone of voice from an over tired parent).  It definitely helped me become less annoyed with this book because the person shoving the tradition towards my family seemed pretty sweet and innocent...but not completely sold.

Still, this book might find its way onto your shelf.  Along with that Fisbee guy.  Am curious if it works, so let me know your feedback, especially if your kids dig it.  I might have to change my tune and buy one on discount after the holidays for next year!

Race You to Bed by Bob Shea

Race You to Bed by Bob Shea

Rating: 3 stars

Lorelei and Ben would be more generous with their stars...they like this book a bit more than I do.  I think it's the image that I have a problem with: Race you to bed!  Ready, set, go!  Faster, faster!  I mean, I've tried for over three years to create a pretty successful, mostly calm (splashing not included) bedtime routine that actually does not involve a race.

But this book is catchy with its nonsensical rhyme "Sneeze to bed! / Grilled cheese to bed! / Angry, angry bees to bed!"  It is so random in a way that makes me wonder but makes my kids giggle.  On the "Clang to bed... / bang to bed... / bring a BRING-BRANG-BRUNG to bed!" the bunny plays the nosiest instruments known to mankind...on the way to...bed?  I always ask, "Would Mommy let you take these things to bed?"  Both kids: "Nooooo!"  I'm a party pooper like that.

But I do like the ending.  The bunny gets to bed: "Looks like I beat you! / Beat you to bed!" and then with a startled look: "Oh, you're already in bed? / You were way up ahead? ? Okay then, race you to sleep!"

I like that kind of race.  Can I get in on that?

My Mother is So Smart! by Tomie DePaola

My Mother is So Smart! by Tomie DePaola

Rating: 3 stars

This is the best book ever!  All kids should read it and believe it!  Because we moms ARE the smartest!

Actually, though we adore Tomie DePaola in this house, this is not one of my favorite books of his.  It is a very cute ode to his own mother (it's written in the first person; like so many of his books, the little boy in the picture is like a little Tomie), and I trust it will sell pretty well because a) it's a Tomie DePaola book and b) there are lots of moms who need gifts at least three times a year.

DePaola points out why his mother is so smart, starting at the time he was a baby: "She always knew when to change my diaper" and "she always knew I was hungry before I cried."  And then when he was older: "My mother is so smart that when it's cold out, she gives us breakfast that makes us warm" and "she can dance the polka." 

No doubt this is a cute book, but I just wonder if I'd like it more if DePaola used "wonderful" instead of "smart?"  Smart makes me think of business meetings and math problems, creative ideas and genius solutions.  But maybe I'm the one who needs to redefine smart.  That would definitely help me during the days when I think "This is it?"  Not that I don't love being a stay-at-home mom, but...like everyone out there, sometimes I wonder what it'd be like if I had a different job.  But then I glance over at Lorelei and Ben and realize any other job just isn't worth it.  There's time for Other.  Right now I have Them.

If I do my job right, maybe they'll buy this book for me in 20 or 30 years!

The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Renata Liwska

Rating: 3 stars

We've been reading a lot of David Shannon books (more on him soon) so when I finally tracked down The Quiet Book at the bookstore today I chuckled throughout it.

Let me describe the book first, and then I'll get to the chuckling.

It's a beautifully illustrated book that explains all the different "quiets" that exist.  For example:  "Quiet can be delicate. / Quiet can be thundering! / Quiet can be sweet, and cozy, / and can most definitely help you fall asleep."  The text is sparse and the animals in the images are really cute.

It is--don't laugh--a quiet book, and one that might relax a fidgety child as they fall asleep at naptime or bedtime.  I was actually a little surprised at how many rave reviews it got on Amazon from parents who say that their children request it again and again.  Many of them said that they liked how the book engaged their kids enough so that they did settle down and become quiet.  Others said that they liked how the book urges kids to think about the different types of quiet throughout the day and week.  More than a few said that they liked how this book talks about the emotions behind quiet.  Hmm. 

Ok, back to the David Shannon.  Has anyone read Oh, David?  Or Alice the Fairy?  If you put one of these books next to The Quiet Book you'll have complete, polar opposites.  Most of David Shannon's books are written so much for children that I wonder if he actually scribbled down the text a few decades ago while he should have been paying attention to his fifth grade math teacher.  And his drawings are wonderful bursts of childhood--really messy and magical. 

This is an example of how some books are just right for your child, and others are just right for mine.  Or, probably more accurate, this book isn't for my children right now.  Maybe next week!  When it gets to the library, we'll check it out and try it out at home.

Animal Numbers by Bert Kitchen

Animal Numbers by Bert Kitchen

Rating: 3 stars

Not surprisingly, Ben saw this at the library last week and just had to have it.  He's a fan of our two weimaraners (who, luckily, are big fans of him) so the Irish Setters on the cover grabbed his attention.  This is a gorgeous book, with only a few words on the first page that introduce the book--and explain that the numbers correspond with the number of babies each mother animal has surrounding her. 

No doubt, it is a gorgeous book.  Kitchen draws incredibly realistic but also super creative pictures for each number, often making the animal and the number work together.  For example, the three baby squirrels climb up the number "3" and the four baby woodpeckers nest within the triangle of the "4" while the mama pecks away into the "4."  Lorelei traces the large, bold numbers with her fingers (a good pre-writing activity, I think).

It's not meant to be read aloud to kids, I know, and that's how we use most books these days, so I can't wax poetic about the book.  My biggest question comes from the last page, where Kitchen promises to explain all the babies names.  But then he doesn't.  He does say that a baby kangaroo is called a joey and states an interesting and often random fact about each baby animal, but...  We information-seekers want to know what babies are called!  I want Lorelei and Ben to pass that pop quiz of life, or in their second grade class when they are asked to identify all these things. 

Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself and should just slooooooooooow down and enjoy the pictures of this book.  I'll do better at that sloooooooooooowing down thing.  Tomorrow. Or maybe next week.  Or next year?

Down on the Farm by Merrily Kutner

Down on the Farm by Merrily Kutner, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

Rating: 3 repetitive stars

We came across this book because it is illustrated by Will Hillenbrand, whose pictures we fell in love with in Whopper Cake.  This book was a little disappointing for us. While it did provide the kids with a fun book to hear, the super repetitive "down on the farm, down on the farm" nearly did me in.  I am a fairly patient person and I love me a good children's book, but...good things don't happen when you have those two lines stuck in your head for hours:

"Down on the farm, down on the farm" as you clean up after dinner, "down on the farm, down on the farm" as you tidy up the playroom, "down on the farm, down on the farm" as you shampoo kid #1's hair, "down on the farm, down on the farm" as you shampoo kid #2's hair, "down on the farm, down on the farm" as you finally achieve some time with your husband, and "down on the farm, down on the farm" as you drift off to sleep.

You get the idea.  If Lorelei and Ben see this book at the library, I might distract them with a "Look at that pony out the window!" and stash it under the nearest bean bag chair.

Now I do have to say that there are lots of animal noises in the book, and of course Ben loved that.  We are pretty sure that he will opt not to speak for several more years, choosing to grunt, oink, growl, bark, and bray through elementary school.  To his future teachers, I apologize in advance.

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Jean Charlot

Rating: 3 stars

I won't spend too much time on this one. I mean, it's a classic and I'd be shocked if it wasn't in your child's library. It's soft and soothing and I rarely read it without yawning. But the text is so silly--rhyming for ryhming's sake, with the whole "mush" thing. How many parents out there have had to explain, poorly, what "mush" is to their children? "It's what you eat in jail, so stay out of there" is what I thought when Lorelei asked me a few months ago.

And the other thing about this classic that I do appreciate is this: WHY IS THE TEXT RED?!!? Against black? When Brown was writing this book, she surely realized it was a perfect-for-bedtime book, right? Bedtime involves low lights. And parents are a little older, grandparents older than them, so eyesight is going downhill fast. This book doesn't help!

In the next edition, I move that the text be changed to white. Then my poor eyes would feel so much better.

Dinos on the Go by Karma Wilson

Dinos on the Go by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Laura Rader

Lorelei's Rating: 3.5 stars

I was trying to write a bit this afternoon at a little table at our rented beach house. I asked my husband to watch the kids. He happily accepted, situating himself a room away from me, with a bunch of toys around him. On the table next to my computer was a stack of books. Within five minutes Lorelei was sitting across from me and Ben was sitting next to me, each with a book in their hands. It was cute, but I did want to get a little writing done, so I told Lorelei that she had to read to herself. She said okay, but then, after looking at each page for awhile asked me politely, "Mommy, which dinosaur is this?" or "Mommy, what is this word?" or "Mommy, will you read just this one part to me?" Clever girl.

I'm not a huge dinosaur person, but they are definitely a rite of passage for children, I think. I am sure I went through an interest in dinosaurs when I was a child--Mom, as my one faithful follower, is this true? I didn't expect Lorelei to be interested in them, and before her third birthday! Her decision to read Dinos on the Go today was helped by my husband's decision to turn on the cartoons earlier, just to see if there was anything good for her. There happened to be some dinosaur cartoon and she thought it was cute. So, now she can identify her T. Rex and Triceratops and Barosaurus. These are the dinos that Wilson chooses to include in her cute book, which I like but there are others of hers that I'm much crazier about.

This is a poem, which of course always makes me happy, and it is cleverly written and even more cleverly illustrated. What I like best about Wilson's writing and Rader's pictures are the things that they stick in for the older readers, parents included. For example, the sign on one truck is "Herb Ivore and Sons, Expert Gardening." Or the whole gist of the book--dinos are on the go because they're going to be extinct! Lorelei doesn't get that just yet, or the little jokes, but she does like how the barosaurus rides her bike (with a helmet--gotta love that nod to safety first) and the T. Rex barely fits on the sleeping berths on the train.

In all, a good book. But not one that we'll likely be checking out again and again from our library.

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow

Rating: 3 stars

Well, this one isn't for my twin neices, who once disappeared in my sister's basement for a few minutes, saying things like "You're my partner in crime." My sister--crazily--didn't suspect anything. They emerged, one relatively unscathed but the other's three year-old limbs were completely colored on. Completely. Her entire face, hands, and feet--anything that was not covered up with clothes--was drawn on. And her sister had done a great job filling in between the ears, I mean lines.

So this book, with the super-fun illustrations by Catrow, might not be for those kids who might think that painting themselves from head to toe is a good idea. I'm being serious here! This is your official warning for the book. If you do have kids in your life who will listen to the simple rule "Wait till your Dad is home and I'm out with my friends to paint yourselves completely." then get them this book. It is really funny, and Lorelei and Ben both think that painting your arm with ants is downright hilarious. If they get a tatoo like this in the future, I'll know which book to blame. This book is an example of fine text but incredibly illustrations. When the little painter's mother takes the paint away and hides in the closet, the entire picture is just black and white, devoid of all color because the baby picasso has been robbed of her tools. But then she creates a ladder for herself to rescue the paints and resume the mess and the bold colors and craziness continue.

Super cute. Fun to add to a gift of art supplies, which is how it landed on our very full shelves.