It is now
official.
Both of my son's partners are expecting babies. Sometime in June I
will be a grandmother! I am a tad excited about this. If you have ideas for
what to get as gifts (books or other stuff) for expecting parents, I am open for suggestions.
Otherwise, I have
had a somewhat dismal reading week. What I finished was great, but I was busy.
I helped out at my old school's book fair last week. That is how I managed to
find time to read all the picture books. I had my niece and nephew over one night
because of snow. Then my family got some serious baking in. We have made
peanut butter balls, shortbread and peanut butter cornflake squares.
NOVELS
 |
| 5 stars |
What can I say. I
adore Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. As I read this, I imagined how much fun
these two had writing it.
Two children are
born. Another, the antichrist, arrives at the hospital and his planned
substitution goes awry.
Consequently his
strategic upbringing is meted out to the wrong child. This really screws things
up, as nothing takes. Meanwhile, the real antichrist grows up in a small
village with loving parents and a cohort of close friends.
Considerable celestial
and satanic energy have been put into preparing for Armageddon. As the time
draws near, the armies of good and evil are ready and waiting for the
antichrist to take over the world and destroy it.
But what if the
main actor decides to change plans?
This novel is
peopled by a delightful cast of characters, including The Gang of Them, a
'fussy angel and a fast living demon', witches and witch finders, and the four
Horsemen of the apocalypse. I loved them all.
CHAPTER BOOKS
 |
| 5 stars |
I was so happy to
read this last week. After a strong beginning the series flagged a bit for me.
This one takes me back to why I loved the first one so much. Poor Princess in
Black, even while on vacation she can't get away from fighting monsters. At
least she can count on Duff looking after things while she is away. Or can she?
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
School's First Day of School by Adam Rex &
Christian Robinson
This is a very sweet story about the first day
of school from the schools perspective. It will be a delightful book to read to
all children starting school, and everyone else who helps them navigate
this great adventure.
 |
| 5 stars |
What a delightful read! This is no ordinary princess, and this is no ordinary pony. After an inauspicious beginning, together they will change the world. (I bought two copies of this for the little girls in my life)
 |
| 4 stars |
What a delightful
retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood. I laughed all the way through
it. Red is a strong indomitable character who is sure the lion would rather eat
donuts than people. These illustrations are gorgeous.
 |
| 4 stars |
These raucous
pirates show how it's possible to be rowdy and wild and have a good time, but
still remember to use your manners. It's sweet. Catrow's images are delightful!
 |
| 4 stars |
This book is
loaded with charm and humour. A boy and a robot become unlikely friends. When
the robot accidentally gets turned off the boy tries to fix it. When the boy
goes to sleep, the robot ends up trying to fix the boy.
 |
| 4 stars |
Fun Fun Fun! And
it's loaded with math. A group of group of four friends have to figure out how
to share three cookies. How they managed to achieve this is hilarious.
 |
| 3.5 stars |
Fly guy books
never languished on the library shelf. I've never met a reluctant beginning
reader who didn't love them. So I was excited at the book fair to see this
Christmas book. It didn't disappoint. It is loaded with the same humor of the
others as Fly Guy tries to protect his family from the stranger who arrives on
Christmas Eve. I purchased a copy for one of my nephews.
 |
| 3 stars |
I wanted to love
this book by Eric Litwin, author of the Pete the Cat books. Unfortunately it
didn't quite work for me. It's got fun characters and a delightful message
about sharing. Maybe if I listen to the song that goes along with it I would
like it better.
CURRENTLY
I'm listening to
Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff. It is fabulous!
UP NEXT
I'm going to be
busy finishing up sewing projects so I suspect I will be mostly listening to
books. I've downloaded Red by Liesl Shurtliff and suspect that will be what I
put on after Jack.
-->
I am reading Red right now! How I celebrate the official announcement of grandmotherhood to come! Wow, did you plan your retirement perfectly or what!? I want to be as coordinated as you on this whole situation. (in the future!) Of course you know, I have LOTS of ideas about books that are necessary for little ones. As I am sure you do! We need to get together!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to drop in to see you! I just got two copies of babies everywhere!
DeleteThis is a great list! I love all of them for various reasons. I definitely will try to add a few of the picture books to my children's department at my library. I am a fan of Neil Gaiman, but haven't read much of him...YET.
ReplyDeleteI've adored everything of Gaiman's. I started out with his kid lit, and then moved into his adult stuff. American Gods is on my list of books to reread.
DeleteI was going to say, I think Carrie has some posts about books! A recent favorite is Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr. Congrats to you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle, Bunny Roo is added to the list!
DeleteI have loved all the Liesl Shurtliff books, and The Cookie Fiasco is lots of fun. It does sound like a busy week, but good too. Congratulations on two grand babies coming! That's wonderful. A recent love of mine is Lullaby & Kisses Sweet, a lovely poetry book for the young ones. Have a great week, Cheriee!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda. I am excited! It's been hard waiting for them to reach 12 weeks so we can tell the world.
DeleteMy students LOVE The Princess and the Pony. ALL students: boys, girls, elementary, and middle school. In fact, it's actually the boys who are checking it out more than the girls. This makes me so incredibly happy.
ReplyDeleteThat is really fabulous Beth! If I had a young boy to give it to now I would. There are a couple of babies, but I'll have to wait.
DeleteI've requested Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion from my library. Looks like a lot of fun. My library doesn't have Are Pirates Polite? yet, but I'll keep my eyes open for it. Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jana. I hope you enjoy both of them!
DeletePrincess in Black has quite a following at my school. Glad you're pleased about impending grandchildren- my daughters both had young men at the house this weekend and I was conflicted. I refuse to get emotionally involved until they've been around for a couple of years. Grandchildren sound horrid, so I'm in no rush!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't easy when my boys brought home so many lovely young girls, but on a positive note, some of them continue to drop in even though it has been years since they were involved with them. My guys are 33 and 35 so having grandchildren isn't so scary as it might once have seemed!
DeleteI had the same reaction to Groovy Joe. My kindergarten students enjoyed it, but for me it was meh. Good Omens is too funny. I need to catch up on Princess in Black. I've only read the first two.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it hilarious? I just love both of them. I wish I could have seen their interactions as they were working on it!
DeleteI'm going to have to read Good Omens at some point. I do love Terry Pratchett, and this sounds like a hilarious story. Princess and Pony is one of my favorite PBs. My pre-service teachers are always looking for PBs that have some math embedded, so I will be sure to get Cookie Fiasco for them. Can't believe there's a Dan Santat I haven't seen! Congrats on impending grandkids! I am very much hoping that grandmothering is a lot easier and more immediately rewarding than parenting, LOL. Also hoping that it's years away!
ReplyDeleteYour son is way to young for you to think about grandchildren! Mine on the other hand are in their 30's.
DeleteWonderful titles as always, Cheriee! Grandchildren, that's unbelievable! You must have given birth as a toddler - hahhhaha! I do own a copy of Good Omens but haven't had a chance to read it yet, your review made me want to pick it up and read it NOW.
ReplyDeleteGood Omens will be a brilliant holiday read Myra. It is loaded with humour but is also thought provoking.
Delete