12 titles, 44 left.. More than half-way!

Okay, so, I've had to split what we've already finished reading into two lists, just to make the blogs easier to handle. I actually have twenty-four books that we've read since last time. When I looked at that list, I decided that no one wanted to read about twenty-four books all in one go!

You're welcome! ;)


38. The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster - (★★★) I realized after we read this that the author of this book also wrote The Phantom Tollbooth, one of my favorite childhood books. It was a fun little story about a little girl who visits with her grandparents, and one of their traditions is the Hello, Goodbye Window. They can wave to each other, see the stars, see their reflection on a dark night and see the garden through this window.
I personally did not like the illustrations, in spite of the Caldecott award. The kids seemed to like it, though.

39. The Hoppameleon by Paul Geraghty - (★★★★★) The kids really liked this book, and the adults liked it too. It's about a "strange" creature who doesn't know what he is. (He's a tree frog!) In his journey to find out what he is and to find a friend like him, he notes the similarities between himself and other animals. I won't spoil the fun of revealing his ultimate guess on his name! The kids, especially Miss A, were engaged and frequently tried to tell the frog that he was a frog! Very cute!


40. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long - (★★★★) A little boy plays on the beach when he discovers a pirate ship just off shore. He tries to bring it to his family's attention, but they're all too busy to notice. So, the pirates take him on an adventure! It's almost too good to be true for a little boy! He doesn't have to brush his teeth or take a bath. He doesn't have to eat fruits or vegetables. He doesn't even have to go to bed until he wants to. But, when he's ready to go to bed, who will read him a story and tuck him in? Certainly not a pirate! This was a good story for my kids. It was interesting and amusing.

41. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child - (★★★1/2) A little girl is charged by her mother to feed her younger sister, who must be the pickiest child on the planet! The older sister must get inventive in order to compel her sister to eat anything at all. Audrey seemed to take in stride all the older sister's made-up foods. She knew they weren't really called those silly names. This is an issue we've dealt with in our own little family, but instead of making up silly names for food, we simply insist that they taste everything, even if they are just convinced they won't like it. ;)

42. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff - (★★★★★) My kids love all the "If you Give a..." books. We were lucky enough to inherit this book from my sister a couple of weeks ago. The illustrations are colorful and amusing and the cyclical story-telling style is so much fun. My kids have almost got to the point where they can anticipate the final line of each story.


43. If You’re Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre - (★★★1/2) This story takes the basic idea from the song, "If You're Happy and You Know It". The pictures were cute and the kids loved looking at the animals' antics. I only give it a lower score because after the first one or two "verses", the rhythm became harder to apply to that of the song. I struggled with that for the remainder of the story. I'm not completely sure that my kids realized the connection to the song for that very reason. They did enjoy the book, however!


44. I’m Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen - (★★★★★) This story was completely adorable and reminded me of my own little boy who frequently insists that he is not cute (or handsome). A baby owl is consistently accosted with hugs by all the other forest animals because they say he is so cute! He insists over and over again that he is not cute, but a deadly night hunter! His mother, of course, knows just what to say to make him feel better! ;)

45. The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen - (★★★★) I enjoyed the encouragement of imagination in this book. A girl's grandfather moves to the city and can no longer have a garden. So, the two of them create their own garden on the roof of his building. As they add more and more details, the garden comes alive. The final details are added by the little girl, herself. The pictures were lovely and the story completely sweet.

46. In My Backyard by Margriet Ruurs - (★★★3/4) The first picture of the backyard is grayed out but, as each part of the backyard is described and the plants and animals described, the picture comes into full color. This was a very simple, informative book that kept the interest of my children. I, personally, would have liked a little more variety and description of what can be in our own backyards, encouraging discussion with my children, but it was a good book, nonetheless.

47. It’s a Secret! by John Burningham - (★★★) The little girl in this story wonders where her cat goes when he leaves at night. One night she says up to find out and he carefully explains to her that she can go but she must keep it a Secret! Honestly, I was a little nervous about this book to begin with. I know that secrets are an exciting part of the world of children, but with some of the "secrets" adults force upon children, I'm a little sensitive to anything that even hints in that direction. I'm not trying to imply anything about this story. It was a cute little story, if a little strange and had a vague, gently sinister quality to it. Perhaps it was the dark quality of the illustrations that put me off.

48. The King’s Taster by Kenneth Oppel - (★★★★) The narrator of this story is the dog who belongs to the King's Chef. The dog always tastes everything before the King to make sure that nothing tastes bad or is poisoned! But the old King dies and the new King doesn't like anything the Chef makes! The child-king finds crazy and inventive ways to express his displeasure about the food. The Chef and the dog travel the world to learn new recipes to serve the King, but in the end, something else is spoiling the King's appetite!   Yet another great book about letting kids try a variety of food! The pictures were great and the story was fun. The kids really liked it a lot.

49. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn - (★★★★★) I loved this story so much and, yes, it even made me a little teary-eyed. A little raccoon must go to his first night at school and doesn't want to leave his mother. His mother teaches him a way to remember her and feel that she is close by. This was a sweet, tender story that I really enjoyed reading to the kids. I think they really enjoyed it too. Audrey is old enough that stories about love make a deep impression on her. If I ever find this book in the store, I'm buying it!

24 of 30: Family Dynamic

If you haven't been following along from the beginning, click here.

Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

My family is large. There are seven of us kids spanning thirteen years. So, it goes without saying that there was a certain amount of chaos in our house with all the comings, goings, tantrums, fighting, hurt feelings, rowdy playing, et cetera... It wasn't as bad as it sounds and, most of the time, I really wasn't aware of how busy everything always was. It just WAS. We sat down to family dinner every night. We went to church every Sunday.


For me, what I remember of my childhood was idyllic in many ways. I didn't have to worry about anything except the teasing of my siblings or getting into trouble for the myriad of idiotic situations I would get myself into. I always had playmates, whether I wanted them or not. I don't remember feeling bored too often. I used to think that boredom was impossible while we lived in California, but I have come to realize as I've grown older that there was simply so much going on all the time. It also helped that we had a pool. ;)


Some of my siblings have said that our parents weren't "around" all the time. I think they were trying to say that my parents, trying to stay out of the chaos, often sequestered themselves in their room/office areas. I think I felt that way for a while, too. Now, when I think about it, I think they were always around (except when Dad was at work). I seem to recall that they were always somewhere in the background. There is a distinct immaterial wall between childhood and adulthood. I was aware of my parents enough to know that they were there in case anything happened that needed their attention, for good or ill. But, in my infinite world of play and pretend, they simply did not figure. They were the all-powerful, vaguely disinterested Watchers over all us kids.


As I grew older, the wall surrounding childhood started to fade and grow thin. I was more aware of my parents as real people with their own interests and feelings. I became keenly aware of the impact of my behavior on my family, especially my mother. I could tell when I irritated or disappointed her. As a young child, it wouldn't have made an impact on me at all.


Things are different now in many ways. All us kids, for the most part, have become peers as well as siblings. We've come to the point where the youngest can say something just as important as the eldest without fear of "What do you know? You're just the baby." We've grown up... mostly. We are learning to move past the bruised feelings of childhood and getting to know our siblings as people. It is surreal in many ways to be surprised by someone you spent your whole life knowing. Shouldn't we know each other inside and out? Apparently not. I'm still learning.


Our parents still have our respect as our parents. The wise ones. The ones who cared for us while we were young. But now, they are no longer the Disciplinarians, the Rule Enforcers, the Because-I-Said-So's.... They are the Loving Grandparents, the Wise Council, the We-Can-Laugh-Together-Now-Because-Spanking-Is-Impractical....


Family gatherings are even more chaotic now. When you figure in spouses and children, a complete family reunion can see about forty people. The grandchildren range from adults (18+) all the way to newborn babies. Some people in the family are still thinking about increasing their own little families. Some of the grandchildren are starting their own.


We aren't all in the same stage in life, nor should we be. We have different strengths and weaknesses. We can help each other with our personal experiences and knowledge. At the core of it all, and the thing that never changed, is the fact that we are bound together by family, love and friendship.


Next Time: If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

16 More, 56 To Go.. Plus an Extra

It's been quite the adventure reading all these books. I don't think I've ever read so many new books in such a short time in my entire life.

Multiple trips too and from the Provo and Orem libraries have made it so I've lost count. I suppose losing count of how often you go to the library isn't a bad thing at all!

In between some trips, I visited with one of my sisters who offered to give me a selection of her picture books as all of her children are pretty much too old for them, now. SCORE!! I have yet to unload the books from the bags they are in because I have no room in my bookshelves for them. You have to love books to understand how awesome it is to have more books than room. ;) A few of the books I got from her are on the list of 100 books. I'll have to fish them out when I get to those.

5. The Best Pet of All by David Larochelle - (★★★★) A little boy wants a puppy and he asks his mother for one. She has many excuses to not get one. He finally bargains with her that if he can find a dragon, she will let him keep it. I'm sure she thought she was very clever, but soon found out otherwise! The kids were appropriately shocked by the dragon's behavior and were very interested in how it would turn out. There is a slight undertone of outsmarting one's parents, but they aren't old enough to catch that yet. I suppose this book will be stricken off the list when they get to that age! ;)

17. Corduroy by Don Freeman - (★★★★★) What a sweet story about a teddy bear who just wants to go home with a little child. His adventure in the store after closing time is cute and brought out touching concern on the part of my children. They really cared about this little bear!

20. Duck on a Bike by David Shannon - (★★★★★) When duck decides to ride a bike, nearly all the other barnyard animals scoff. But what happens when there are suddenly enough bikes for all? The kids laughed and giggled all the way through this book. Even Dad chuckled at a few bits.


23. The End by David LaRochelle - (★★★3/4) Audrey almost got the concept of this book. The whole story runs backward, starting with "And they lived happily ever after." Then it starts to explain why they lived happily ever after and so on. When you get to the end of the book, it goes, "Once upon a time..." It was cute and Audrey loved the pictures. She struggled a bit with why the story was running backward. I think she has difficulty with books that don't follow the "rules" of story-telling. When she gets older, I'll make sure to tell her that once she understands the rules, it's much easier to bend and play around with them. ;)

24. Epossumondas by Coleen Salley - (★★★★) This story reminded me of the style of old folk tales. Epossumondas' mother gives her furry son careful instructions on how to carry the gifts from his Auntie home. His careful obedience leads to trouble every time. Audrey was old enough to know that he was doing things all wrong. Especially when it came to getting the puppy home!


25. Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor - (★★★★★★) I know I'm fudging this a bit by putting in six stars... but Audrey LOVED this book. As soon as we were done reading it, she asked if we could please, please, please, keep it. I told her that because it is the Library's book, we have to return it, but if I find it in a store, I will buy it for her. Fancy Nancy is fancy and she likes to do and say everything in fancy ways. Her family is not fancy at all and she sets out to teach them how. An adorable book!

26. Fire Truck by Peter Sís - (★★★★) Henry loved this book for obvious reasons. Fire Trucks!! He and his sister even took it in stride when the little boy TURNED INTO a Fire Truck. Simple, cute book.


27. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow - (★★★★★) Both of the kids really liked this one a lot. As luck turned out, the library had holds on this book for weeks. I ran into it during our last trip to DI. When I got home, I found that the package I bought at DI had three copies of this book in it! So, I kept one and donated the other two to the library since they don't seem to have enough. ;) Audrey immediately wanted the book in the room and she's been reading it to herself the last few days. It follows the old finger-play nursery rhyme pretty much perfectly, but there is a cute little side not at the end. Fun!

28. Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London - (★★★★) Daddy read this book to the kids and I could tell he had a really good time with the sound effects. The kids were fascinated with Froggy's attempts to get ready to go outside. It reminded me of the dressing adventures in my own little family.

29. George and Martha by James Marshall - (★★★★★) I thought this book would turn out to be dull, just based on the cover. I guess I should have thought twice. There were five mini-stories contained in this book about two good friends who are hippos. The kids thought they were funny and cute. Did the message of good friendship and honesty sink in? I hope so! :)


30. Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley - (★★★★★) Audrey liked this book fairly well, but it was Henry who was completely taken with it! After I finished reading it, he ignored the other stories that night and looked at this book over and over again. The pages slowly reveal the big, green monster and then the narrator orders the monster away bit by bit. Taking control of the existence of a monster was a relief to me. Not only could the kids feel like they could make the monster appear, but disappear at will. Smart, clever story!

33. The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson - (★★★1/2) While I thought the story was funny and cute, my kids needed a little explanation. Especially Henry. The Gruffalo's Child (a little hairy monster) goes out at night to find the Big Bad Mouse! Why a monster should be afraid of a mouse, I'm sure I don't know!

34. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard - (★★★★★) Reading this story couldn't have come at a better time. Both of my kids were cranky and grumpy that night. As it turns out, so was Grumpy Bird. As Grumpy Bird stomped around, being grouchy, his little animal friends join him on his walk. By the time Grumpy Bird started cheering up, so were my children!

35. Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen - (★★★★1/2) Guji Guji is a crocodile who was hatched by a duck. He loves his duck family, but what happens when some other crocodiles show up to tell him how he is really supposed to behave? What a cute story! The kids loved it and the pictures were great!


37. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion  - (★★★1/2) Harry does not like taking baths, so he buries the scrub brush and runs away. He goes and plays in some very dirty places and, after he decides that he misses home, ends up being a black dog with white spots instead of a white dog with black spots. When he goes home, his family does not recognize him... but will this turn of events make him reconsider taking a bath? This was a cute story and Audrey was engaged, but she wasn't especially taken with it. Kind of a shrug of the shoulders response.


50. Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes - (★★★★★) We got this book out of order because Audrey was begging and begging me to find her a cat book while we were at the library. The sweet librarian overheard her and brought me this book. I would have taken it no matter what, but I was especially pleased when I realized it was on my list! Kitten is convinced that the full moon is a dish of milk just waiting for her up in the sky. She tries and she tries with amusing and heart-breaking results to reach that dish of milk! Audrey frowned and worried and awww!-ed all through the story. 

It turns out that this is one of the books my sister gave us, too! BONUS! We get to read it as often as we want now!

Not on the list - Doing the Garden by Sarah Garland (Because no one has Eddie's Garden: And how to make things Grow. Though, I did request the purchase of this book) - (★★★★) Doing the Garden was a fun, simple story about a family going to the gardening store and getting seeds, plants, and even a tree. Audrey was completely amused by the dog's antics in the yard. We really enjoyed this one and hope that Eddie's Garden is just as fun... if we ever find it!

23 of 30: 5 Hobbies

If you haven't been following along from the beginning, click here.

List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

I'll list these in no particular order, because I don't feel like being organized today... plus, it'll add a little mystery as to which one is my real favorite! ;) Please note: I don't include writing in my list of hobbies because it's not a hobby for me. It's a driving force inside me that will, hopefully, one day make me a living.

1. Playing video games. I love simulation and adventure games. I have been playing The Sims (and just about any other game from that developer) for many, many years. I love building the houses and creating the perfect characters. I send them to work and make them happy. This makes me happy! 
I loved playing Warcraft, but have yet to try World of Warcraft. I haven't been playing Diablo nearly as long, but I anxiously anticipated the release of the third installment. I've been playing it for almost two weeks. I've only tried out two different classes, but overall, I'd say it has been well worth the wait and cost. I love the story and "clearing" areas. I don't leave any stone un-turned or any nasty creature un-slaughtered. (As a side note, Ben bought it for me for Mother's Day and actually stood in line with all the gamer geeks. He randomly texted me the funny comments they would make about playing. Stuff like, "rushing", "farming", "runs", "And then this guy just goes all cyborg on me!", "bots", "Are you guys gonna start out on the hardcore levels? I'm gonna farm on the infernal levels." These are things that most people would either not understand, or think were stupid... They wouldn't be far from the truth.)

2. I love crafting. I'm still dabbling as far as crafters go. I haven't made 90% of my possessions.. not even 10%.  But, I do love making useful things. I also enjoy re-purposing. Making something into something else rather than throwing it away makes me feel about 50 IQ points smarter.

3. I used to enjoy scrapbooking. I now love making photo books! It's about five hundred times faster and comes out looking a million times more professional than anything I ever made in a scrapbook. I'm not dissing scrapbooking. I just don't have the patience for it anymore. (Plus, they take up enormous amounts of room compared to photo books!) One of these days, I plan on going through my scrapbooks and convert them all into photo books.

4. I love throwing parties. There is something so satisfying about having so many different people at your house and helping them all have a good time. I haven't been able to do this as often as I would like with the constraints of time and living in someone else's house. I like planning ahead for these parties and figuring out each and every tiny little detail. So far, I've really only thrown medium-sized parties (8 - 15 couples), but one day I will tackle the much trickier small and large-scale parties.

5. I love reading. I've been reading since before I knew how to read.. ;) I love immersing myself in a world and coming out on the other side breathless and fulfilled. It's because of reading that I love to write so much!

Most of my hobbies seem to deal with creating something... hm, I don't think that is a coincidence.

Next Time: Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

22 of 30: 5, 10, 15 years

If you haven't been following along from the beginning, click here.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

5 Years: In five years, Ben will be almost 40! (Yikes) I will be almost 39, Audrey will be 10 and Henry will be 8. All our school loans will be paid off and we will most likely be looking at buying a house. My kids will definitely need to be in separate rooms by then. I hope to be published by then.

10 Years: We'll stop counting the adult birthdays by this time. Audrey will be 15 and probably wanting to learn how to drive. All the boys will either be scared of her or completely smitten. Henry will be headed into teenager-hood, his voice cracking. He'll have every merit badge he can get by that age! ;)
I will have finished at least the second book of my trilogy and anticipating the publication of the first.
Ben will either be a big-dog at work, or happily keeping house for me while I make the big bucks writing. :-D

15 Years: Crikey! I don't even want to think about how old I'll be. Audrey will be 20 and Henry will be 18. Both of my kids will have graduated High School. We'll be lovingly and gently pressuring them to prepare to go on missions. They would go through the temple the same day! How cute is that! Either that, or we will be seriously examining whatever boy thinks he might want to marry her. Ben will buy a shotgun for this very purpose. Ben and I will be happily anticipating empty-nesting and traveling together. (Not that we won't have traveled before this, but it certainly makes a difference when it's just the two of us.)

Do I expect that this will happen as planned? Don't be silly! This is the conservative outlook. My pie-in-the-sky outlook is outrageous. I expect reality to be somewhere in the middle of it all. And, of course, I'll be a fabulous hostess, president of the PTA and volunteer at the local food bank. People will say, "How does she do it?" I will say, "Oh, hahah! Didn't you know my superpower is infinite energy?"


Until next time, happy blogging!


Next Time: List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

21 of 30: One Superpower

If you haven't been following along from the beginning, click here.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?

Perhaps you, my dear readers, will find this completely boring, but if I had a superpower.... I'd have to say that an endless supply of energy would be awesome. I'd never have to sleep. Any mom I know would have to agree.


Who cares if the sun goes down? Who cares if it's 3:38 in the morning? By golly, I'm doing my laundry when no one else is going to pester me. Think of all that time wasted on something as ridiculous as a regenerative state of unconsciousness. On average, I sleep about 8 to 9 hours a night. No, it's not always uninterrupted, I DO have young children.


And with that endless supply of energy, the first thing I would do is spend my time (however long it took) to get my house completely cleaned and organized. I'd do that at night and be the perfect, most amazing, mom during the day.


Now, why did I ignore the more common and spectacular powers? Let's see....

Flying - Pshaw! What a silly superpower. Can you do anything really useful with it. How many damsels in distress are really going to be falling to their deaths in your neighborhood? I thought so.


X-Ray Vision - Honestly, this one is just creepy. 'Nuf Said.


Super Strength - While I'm not knocking the potential of this one, most people gifted with this ability would just use it to show off. Don't lie to me, now. You know it's true.


Aqua-breathing - Again, useful in dire circumstances. However, on a mundane day, what would you use that for? I suppose it would be nice to completely submerge in a bath tub... but think of what the suds would do to your respiratory system.


Teleportation - This would be handy and a total time-saver. I'm all for that. However, other than teleporting your dirty dishes to the top of Mount Pinatubo and tossing them in the lava, I really don't see a practical use for that skill. Never mind that you'll have to get a day job to pay for all those destroyed dishes.


Telekinesis - This one would be cool too. Why stand up to do your housework? You could do the cleaning with your mind! Kids misbehaving? Just levitate them up to the ceiling and keep them there until they calm down. I can see this power becoming one of complete laziness, though. The super hero with telekinesis is one doomed to couch-potatodom.


Super Healing - Other than a morbid fascination with regrowing fingers, this is another one that doesn't seem to help much in modern, mundane living. At least you wouldn't have to worry about paper-cuts anymore.


Invisibility - The novelty of this one would wear off for me quickly. How many practical jokes can you really play, with complete confidence that you won't get caught, before you get bored?


Telepathy - I think this one would get boring or depressing after a while. A lot of people have rather inane thoughts. Then there are those that don't seem to be capable of thinking anything nice. It would, however, be fun to use that ability to call people out for lying to me.

I know that list hardly begins to explore all the different superpowers there are. However, I think it's safe to say that my chosen super power is exactly what would fit the bill for me! ;)


My dear hubs also says that if I had an endless supply of energy, I wouldn't have to eat either. Size 6, here I come!!


Next Time: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 Years?

16 Down, 72 To Go, PLUS Miss A's Take

We have fearlessly barreled straight into our 100 book list. Recall, if you will, that we automatically checked 12 books off the list by virtue of ownership.
Since I posted the list last Saturday, we have been to the Orem library three times and the Provo library twice. I really underestimated my kids' appetite for books.
We went back on Friday to drop off everything we've read, pick up a few books I put on Hold and pick up more books.
The books we read up until Friday's trip:

1. Abuela by Arthur Dorros - (★★★★) Audrey and Henry really liked this one. The pictures were colorful, the story fanciful. A few Spanish phrases were included throughout, which Audrey really likes to listen to.

2. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins - (★★★★★) We all liked this book. As the title may suggest to you (it didn't immediately to me), this book shows pictures of animals, or significant parts of them, in actual size. The biggest reaction was when we unfolded the page with the crocodile jaws. The kids were amazed.

3. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer - (★★★★) A mother dog tries to get her puppy to bark. A variety of other animal noises come out of this sweet pooch and the best part is his mother's reactions to it all. The silliness was not lost on my kids!

4. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson - (★★★★) Bear hosts a party in cave, while he's asleep. Now that's talent! The pictures were engaging and the narration was fun. As the words got bigger, my voice got bigger. Honestly, Henry got a little worried near the end! ;)

7. Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells - (★★★1/2) Both of my kids love Max and Ruby. Audrey because she used to watch it and Henry because Audrey does. Audrey wrinkled her nose and "yiiichhh-ed" Max's cake. She was completely engaged. I give it a 3 1/2 star rating only because I had to explain quite a few things to the kids or they wouldn't have understood what was going on.

8. Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina - (★★★★) I remember this book from when I was a kid. I loved it, so I was fulfilled when it turned out my kids enjoyed it as well. The accidental cleverness of the Peddler may have been lost on my kids, but the naughtiness of the monkeys certainly wasn't. Cute!

9. Caramba by Marie-Louise Gay - (★★★3/4) Audrey struggled with this one just a little because the premise requires the child to accept that all cats can fly. It wasn't until the book showed pictures of cats flying that she started to get into the story. In the end, Caramba's desire to fit in was replaced with the satisfaction of finally discovering his true talent.

10. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss - (★★★3/4) As simple as this story was, my husband reports that the kids were not especially entertained with it. A little boy plants a seed and, despite what everyone tells him, continues to care for it until he grows a beautiful carrot. Perhaps the message of patience and determination did sink in somewhere in my kids' heads but, like the book, is only starting out as a little seed.

11. Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson - (★★★) I really enjoyed the cleverness of this book. It starts out with a little boy reading his favorite book about a pirate who reads a book about someone else who reads a book about someone else who reads a book about someone else, and on and on. The rhythmic rhyming was fun to read and the pictures were cute and engaging. In the end, the book reading returns to the little boy reading his favorite book. I think that, while Audrey was interested, she seemed to be confused by the titular character being read about by a character in his own book. The concept of infinity seemed to be a bit beyond her and meant for a child a little older.

12. Chester by Mélanie Watt - (★★★) This book is about the author trying to write a story about a mouse while her strong-willed cat, Chester, insists that the story be about him. He uses a big red marker to change her story into what he wants. They end up in a battle of wits trying to control the story. In the end, the author out-smarts her cat... or does she? This was another one that I found clever, fresh and funny. When I got to the end and looked at Audrey, she had a confused little frown on her face. When I asked her if she thought the book was funny and cute, she shook her head. Like the previous book, I think she would enjoy this book if she were a little older.

14. Chicken Little by Ed Emberley - (★★★★1/2) The classic story with a slight spin, it's really the pictures that make it stand out. Bold, slightly manic colors explode from the page as the ridiculous, petrified poultry race around trying to escape the perceived end of the world. The ending is a little more friendly to the sensitive feelings of young children, i.e. the birds don't get eaten. However, as the birds march into the fox's mouth, my children were both fully aware of the danger and appropriately concerned. Overall, a great read.

15. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin - (★★★) The title says almost all there is to say about this book. The cows are typing because they are asking for the farmer to do something nice for them; and, in turn, the farmer doesn't want to give them what they want. The issue quickly escalates out of the control of the farmer who eventually gives in. Perhaps it was my tone while reading it, but my kids were not engaged in this story at all. They understood that it was silly for the cows to type, but they didn't seem to comprehend why it was happening at all. Perhaps my tone was off because I couldn't help but think of Animal Farm by George Orwell. I think I find demanding, intelligent barnyard animals to be creepy.

16. The Complete Adventures of the Mole Sisters by Roslyn Schwartz - (★★1/2) My kids really seemed to like this book of 10 short stories. The pictures were cute and the Mole Sisters were sweet. I found the books to be overly simplified as far as word usage goes. There were phrases that the Mole Sisters used regularly that didn't describe what was going on at all. Maybe these adventures were happening just for the sake of adventuring, but there really didn't seem to be any point to them other than a "because we can" sort of attitude. In my opinion, there should be some sort of point to it all. Honestly, the biggest reaction from my kids was their exclamations of concern that there was a spider in the Mole Sisters' house.

18. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French - (★★★★) I thought the diary-style story telling from the perspective of the Wombat was adorable. "I woke up, I slept, I woke up, I ate dinner - grass, I slept, I woke up," The wombat pesters a family that moves into a house nearby, cutely harassing them into giving him food. I think the humor of it was lost on my kids, however. The pictures were beautiful and engaging, the story gentle and the kids enjoyed that. If nothing else, my kids were able to learn from the book what a wombat is.

19. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems - (★★★★★) Audrey immediately understood the absurdity of a pigeon driving a bus, but she quickly fell victim to the pigeon's cajoling ways.She knew she should say no, but hesitated when he seemed mad at her. She was completely immersed in the book and frequently looked to me for help when she couldn't figure out what to do about that pesky bird. We liked this book so much, that we went ahead and read the other two Pigeon books I picked up from the library. We read The Pigeon Wants a Puppy and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. The drawings were fun, the pigeon's expressions wildly varied. I have half a mind to buy the whole series of Pigeon books!

22. Elmer by David McKee - (★★★★★) Elmer is an elephant who isn't elephant-colored but has many colors all over his body like patchwork. He wants to be like the other elephants, so he goes out to find a way to change how he looks. When he comes back, no one recognizes him. This story was fun, colorful and entertaining. The kids really enjoyed it and I think, on a certain level, understood the point of the book. Everyone loved Elmer as he was and he finally realized that in the end.