Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

from goodreads

5 stars

This week I have been forced to slow down and take it easy. It's good to do that once in a while, but it is better if it is not put on you and you can decide to do that for yourself. I am trying to make the most of it but it is still somewhat frustrating.

What happened you ask? I totally bruised the side of my foot, possible toe breakage, while trying to get around my 18 month old. I totally smucked my foot hard against the door frame. So silly, but man it hurt. So now I am a hobbler. I am trying to rest it as much as possible to aid in healing.

The worst thing I had so much energy and I was going to really tackle some house projects and get the ball rolling on things. Oh well! Hopefully that energy comes back when my foot is back to normal. Until then, at least I am getting a whole lot of reading done. :)

Synopsis

Sam-I-Am, server of all things green eggs and ham, is trying to convince this tall hatted man to try some.

My Thoughts

I loved this book when I was little and I love it now. My kids have been asking for this one quite a lot. My oldest is very proficient at reading it and I am always catching my youngest grabbing it and rifling through it.

I love how persistent Sam-I-Am is. Nothing seems to get him down and cause him to give up. He doesn't get exasperated or angry, unlike me when I am trying to convince my own kids to try something new. I like all the different scenarios that are offered too.

It is amazing how a book with only 50 different words, (even though I only got 49, so If you want to count them and see what you get that would be awesome) can be such an entertaining story.

Hopefully the kids are not only entertained, but also get the message of it, try food you will like it. This book is truly a timeless classic,. Its theme is universal. I think that is why it has had such great staying power over the 50+ years it has been in print.

Here is my favourite rendition of Green Eggs and Ham by the Canadian indie band Moxy Fruvous. Enjoy!

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

from goodreads

2.5 stars

It is such a beautiful day. The sky is blue and cloudless and when I look out my front window the orangy yellow of the leaves against the blue is brilliantly breathtaking. Across the street there is a beautiful maple tree whose leaves are the brightest orange. I love how it looks in the sunlight, almost like a the tree is on fire.

I love the cool mornings. I love the pumpkin scented candles that are out now. I love eating pumpkin bread. I just love autumn and all that comes with it. Hopefully we will have another week or so of this gorgeous weather. I could handle it.

Synopsis

Antionette and Marie van Goethem are sisters who are living in poverty in France in the 1800s. While Marie and Charlotte, their younger sister, are sent to the ballet, Antionette becomes an extra on the stage and eventually a laundress. This book follows their struggles of survival, as well as, their struggles for bettering their situation. Are they doomed to be stuck in the squalor they were born in or are they able to rise above it and make something of themselves?

My Thoughts

The book started out really well. It was very interesting and excited to see what was going to happen. About half way through it got a bit tedious and by the end I felt quite indifferent to it and the characters.

I liked learning about the ballet system in Paris. It was interesting to see how those in poverty saw it as their ticket out of their current conditions and would do anything to be successful. The whole abonne system, was quite interesting as well. Rich, married men, carrying on with and sponsoring rising ballet stars. Creepy.

For me I found the book repetitive. Marie, felt she was ugly, and went on and on and on and on about it. I guess, as a teenage girl trying to do her best in a system that truly valued a certain look for ballet, and who was surrounded by other girls all day, it would be something that would be on her mind a lot. But, I just didn't care. The whining about her looks didn't make me feel sympathetic, it just made me want to read through faster to be done.

As for Antoinette, I didn't really like her at the beginning of the book. I liked her a bit more at the end. It was frustrating how blind she was when it came to her love interest. I guess we can all get like that at sometimes but I just found it ridiculous.

I found the ending rather abrupt. You sort of know how their lives ended up, but it left it rather open. It would have been nice to see how they got from the lowest point to where they were at the end. I think that would have been interesting. I also found the last bit a bit confusing. The point of view changed every other page and I wasn't sure what exactly was going on. Was Marie's downward spiral happening in just an afternoon or was this over a course of sometime?

It also would have been nice to explore what happened between Marie and Degas a bit more. I think that might have been interesting.

With historical fiction it's hard because you don't want to be too out there with what you think these real live people said and did. You don't want to insinuate anything that will make historians be up in arms. But at the same time, you do have some license in stretching the truth or showing what might have been. I think I would have liked it if that book took more of that license.

One theme that Buchanan brings out which I think was very interesting was the idea of being able to change ourselves and behaviour. At the time Emile Zola was out with his book and play that stated that certain facial features meant you would be a bad person and if you had these bad facial features you were born just to do bad things and there nothing you could do about it. No matter what good you tried to do eventually you would change end up bad. It was in your nature. While we know facial features don't mean you are good or bad, yet, it can still affect ourselves and those around us. And this whole nature vs. change for the better idea gave some great food for thought.

While others really loved this book it didn't do anything for me. I guess I am glad I read it, but I would have been fine not reading it too. It just was too blah to me. There were some special moments, but they were few and far between.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

from goodreads

4 stars

So I can probably already hear what you are saying. "Hey where the heck are the picture books?" I promise next week I will be back with the picture books. But this book did have pictures throughout and it is a great one to read out loud, so to be fair, this is kind of like a picture book.

At the tail end of summer it was reading crazy here. I got through so many books. I want to post about the books I read before they get too far away from my memory. I do write down some of my thoughts but when I go to write my posts the book I write my thoughts in always seems to be missing. Seriously, I have elves in my house.

So next Tuesday I promise I will get back to the picture books.

Synopsis

Since his birth there has been something odd about Despereaux. When he falls in love with a human princess named Pea, the rest of the mice feel they must deal with him. It is truly a tale of love, kindness and being accepting of others.

My Thoughts

This has been on my list for quite awhile and I am so glad that I picked it up. It was on the feature wall in our library and I thought, why not. I will be reading this to my girls when they get a little older.

I loved the fantastical world that DiCamillo created. It's like it could be real life but there were some silly parts that made it seem other worldly. Such as, humans not thinking it strange that mice and rats could talk and that they knew the animals could understand them when they talked to them.

I loved the whole conflict of trying to be the same as everyone else, but then staying true to who you are. Despereaux, loves to read the books instead of nibble them. He loves staring at the light through the window instead of quickly running into the mouse hole. He finds love in unlikely places. All this causes conflict with the other mice, as they don't know how to deal with his oddities. This is a great story to introduce the concept of acceptance of those who do and see things differently.

The same for the rat Roscuro. He lives in the dungeon. As a rat he is not supposed to like light, and is always supposed to be mean to those who are thrown into the dungeon. Well one day he sees light, and it changes him.

It was interesting to see how being different affected Despereaux and Roscuro differently.

This book also demonstrates human cruelty in away that doesn't hide it but presents it in a kid friendly way. The character Miggery Sow makes me want to scoop her in my arms and love her.

I love how the author uses big words, stops the story and then either asks you to go look it up in the dictionary or explains it herself. Very cool. It's learning but in a fun and inviting way.

This was a fun book, a light book, a book that will make kids and adults think. This would be a great book to read out loud together. I think if you read it out loud it would be good for ages eight and up. If you were going to have your child read it by themselves I would suggest ages ten and up.

The Sandman by Lars Kepler

from goodreads

5 stars

So as most of you probably know, I love the library. I love that I get to read as many books as I want and it costs me nothing. Just my time getting there. And since it is only a fifteen minute walk away I can get some exercise in at the same time. Win-win I should think.

Another thing I like about the library, which I am pretty sure I have talked about before, is the hold system. I love putting books on hold. It saves me the time of having to find the book myself. With three kids, and one who likes to run away and hide down the library aisles, putting things on hold is the best service, and the fellow patrons of the library would agree. (Less time having to listen to my screechy 18 month old.)

The hold service also means I get to be the first person to get some of the books. Nothing is better than being the first one to take out a library book. You are the first one to know how the story will end, to accidently bend pages and to know what the mystery stain on the page is instead of wondering. Of course I never add mystery stains to any book. (As I look around and not make eye contact and slowly back away.) Right now I have a book waiting for me at the library and I am the first person to have it on hold, I am super excited. And for The Sandman I was the second person on the hold list, but with 4 copies, I was still the first one to read it. Man it was sweet.

Synopsis

This is book number four in the Jonna Linna series. When a person shows up who was thought to be dead for the past seven years, Linna, reopens cold cases and looks into his past to find out who could be the accomplice working with Linna's arch nemesis, serial killer Jurek Walters.

My Thoughts

This book was freaking amazing!!!!!

I have been a bit luke warm with some of Lars Kepler's books in the past. I found them a bit more creepy then I usually like, but I kept going back for more. I am so glad that I did. This book was everything a crime thriller should be and more. It had action, suspense, tortured souls, crazy people, heart ache, redemption, and it all got summed up in the end. Not in a tidy neat package kind of way but in a real and messy way.

This book left me thirsting for more and I am seriously contemplating learning Swedish so I can read their next book and not have to wait for it to get translated. (It gets released in Sweden in October.) I am super excited for the next book because the authors left it as an open ending, so they can really take Linna's character anywhere. After the third book in the series, they set it up so you knew that Linna was going to be dealing with the serial killer from his past. Now... who knows. Man I am excited.

As with all Lars Keplar books, the chapters were short meaning the pace was quick and you kept reading and reading. Some people don't like their short choppy style, but I think it is the perfect fit for this type of story. The action in the book goes in short bursts, so the short chapters and the precise sentences matches it. I also like how Lars Keplar throws in details, that are really irrelevant, yet they seem to enhance the story. I wasn't left wondering why they added what this random character was wearing, it just seemed perfectly at home.

I thought the doctor in the hospital/jail, was a bit of a creep and I can't believe his wife put up with him. I wasn't exactly saddened with the fate that met him. But seriously, his abuse of power and his perverseness, grossarama.

The theme of this book was interesting. We don't know what small role we may play in the fates of others. We need to be careful that we are kind and generous as we can be, otherwise watch out.

So if you are looking for a great thriller/mystery. This is the book for you. I just loved it. I don't get this excited about too many books, so you know it must be good. May not be deep, but it was still amazing.

One Star Rating Books of the Summer

I know this is normally a picture book day, but I haven't been reading a lot of picture books lately. Or at least, I haven't been reading a variety of picture books lately. We have been sticking to some old faithfuls.

Over the last month my reading has really picked up and I have read a lot. I have also not finished a lot and rather than have a separate post for each one star rated book, I thought I would combine them, leaving the stand a lone posts for the books I have actually completed. As with any one star rated book, I may try reading them again. But at this point in my life they weren't for me for a variety of reasons.

Since I didn't actually finish them, and one book I only read thirty pages, the synopsis will be taken from goodreads.com.

from goodreads

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn

1 star

Synopsis

How Green Was My Valley is Richard Llewellyn's bestselling -- and timeless -- classic and the basis of a beloved film. As Huw Morgan is about to leave home forever, he reminisces about the golden days of his youth when South Wales still prospered, when coal dust had not yet blackened the valley. Drawn simply and lovingly, with a crisp Welsh humor, Llewellyn's characters fight, love, laugh and cray, creating an indelible portrait of a people.

My Thoughts

I tried to like this book. It is supposed to be a classic and when I checked on goodreads to see what others thought almost everyone thought it was five stars amazing, so I kept on slugging along. I got about two thirds through and then had to throw in the towel. I found the pace slow, and I really didn't care about the characters. I couldn't figure out what the point of the book was. Was it just a snap shot of real life in Wales? Was it about unions? I don't know.

When I threw in the towel, I found a few lonely souls who were like me and also did not get the book at all. One person, Elizabeth, spelled it out exactly how I was thinking she says "On the one hand I recognize that it is beautifully written. Possibly the most beautifully written prose I've ever read. But beautiful prose isn't really that exciting for me. It kept putting me to sleep and it was taking FOREVER to get through the book... I wanted to know 'what happens.' But nothing ever does. Not really."

Elizabeth, if you are reading this, it is exactly how I felt, though the prose wasn't the most beautiful I had ever read, but I will say it was well written. It was also a a great tool for combating insomnia. It put me right to sleep, literally.

I will admit, I did like the sense of community their little town had, and how they were always having large gatherings with food. But seriously in the book those large gatherings were happening almost every other page. Enough already, we get it, they like to party and have a good time.

Maybe someday I will read the remaining pages, but it won't be any time soon. Maybe I will just watch the movie, though right now I have no desire to do so.

from goodreads

Austenland by Shannon Hale

1 star

Synopsis

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly becomes realer than she could have imagined.


Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen; or maybe even, she suspects, with actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?


My Thoughts

Well I made it about half way through this one. I just found it kind of shallow and repetitive. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a fluff book and corny romance. I have read my fair share of those and on the whole I don't mind them. But this book... I could not stand. I found the main character very annoying. It's like hello, there is a thing called reality, maybe you should check it out. And it seems everyday she comes to the conclusion she is going to make the most of this experience and just have fun. But then, she must forget she made that resolution because the very next day she seems to make it again.


I also find it funny that she loves Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice yet when that type of character is presented she finds him rude etc. instead of assuming oh, that's how he was in the book, he must have a soft side under that cold exterior. It's like hello, we all hate Mr. Darcy at the beginning and then love him at the end. Don't forget that... duh!


I just found it too ridiculous for me to read right now. It might have been better when I was younger, I don't know. I think I like the other modern woman romance dilemma books better, because it is actually about something and has a great cast of friends etc. This did not have that. Just a bunch of weird people in crazy get up and the main character, who as mentioned before, was not all that likeable. At least for me.

from goodreads

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

1 star

Synopsis

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can't be made, and promises that won't be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.

My Thoughts

 Well... This book did not have me from page one. I did read thirty pages and then just stopped. The author writes about the meals people eat, and how people change their clothes and all that jazz, and guess what I don't really care. It seemed full of needless details. And the characters are not very nice people, I really couldn't cheer for anyone.

I also didn't find it to be very "thrilling". I read a lot of nordic crime, that stuff is thrilling, with twists and turns you never know what is going to happen next.

This seemed to be more of a commentary on what happens when there is stagnation in a relationships, the importance of both partners having similar goals and the importance of talking it through and having give and take. (Yes, I got that from thirty pages). Perhaps if I read my whole "to read" list I will come back to this book. But, for now, there are other books that I feel are more urgent to read then this.


I loved this one review on goodreads, it is a bit wordy but it is a perfect reflection of my thoughts on this book. Thanks Karen on goodreads. Karen wrote:


"At the moment, I am wearing my book reviewing outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, but soon I will change into some sweatpants to take a nap on the couch under the window that looks out onto the sprawling landscape of my driveway. Then I will put on a smart pair of yoga pants and a crisp k-way jacket to get some groceries. When I get back, having bought only food that I enjoy because that's who the world revolves around, I will change into my coffee-making outfit consisting of whatever little dress still fits after a couple of kids and a sedentary winter, with some cute uggs because my feet are so darn cold, but will change again before we eat some adorably twee appetizer of something creamy on a cracker, and then will change just one more time before dinner into something that I know my husband will love. If anybody in my house does anything to disrespect or displease me, I will say not a thing because, control, but will be plotting some half-assed passive-agressive revenge whilst smiling, making lunches and making my entire generation seem petty, privileged, and downright insufferable.

If you could get through this review, I suppose you could get through the book"

I just loved that!

So there you have it my one stars from the summer. If you were able to read any of these books, let me know if you liked them. Perhaps that will motivate me to give them another try.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

from goodreads

4 stars

I have come to the conclusion, which most readers eventually come to I'm sure, that I will never get around to reading every book I want to. There are just so many books that are published everyday. Even when I think I am doing well at whittling down my to read list more just keep on getting added. And forget about trying to stay current with the literary world. Quite often by the time I get around to a book it almost seems passe.

But coming to that conclusion has lead me to other insights. Such as knowing when a book is just not worth my time to continue with it. Because I have so many other books on my list, why would I bother keeping on reading something that is just not doing it for me. I still will keep those on "the list", because maybe they would be better if I read them later, or didn't feel the pressure of my holds list at the library. But I have definitely become more picky about which books I will slog through and which ones are not worth the effort. It has become freeing in a way. Giving myself permission to say "I fought the good fight to try to be interested, but it's just not to be". And you know what, that's okay.

Synopsis
Hazel knows that she is going to die, sooner rather than later. She has cancer, but thanks to a miracle drug she has lasted longer than what her parents and doctors thought possible. At a support group she meets Augustus another cancer kid. This is a book about their love story, their adventure, and what it means to be human.

My Thoughts

What a great book. What a wonderful and heart-wrenching story. It is funny, poetic, lovely, sad and hopeful. It gives an insight into the cancer teen world that you don't think about. While the story focused mostly on Hazel and Augustus, you catch glimpses of how it effects friends, parents, and the relationships with the cancer patient and those people.

I love how Green talks about the complexities of what it means to "fight cancer". Of course the patients would love to keep on living and experiencing life, but there is also feelings of guilt, frustration, humiliation, concerns  and fears.

The one thing that I didn't like about the book, or at least I didn't find it as believable, was the intensity of the love connection between Hazel and Augustus. Supposedly they had this crazy super in love connection, a love that changed them, redefined them, and would go down in history as the best love ever. I just didn't get that. I felt I was only getting mere glimpses into their lives. Supposedly they spent a lot of time together, but to me it was like they knew each other for a day and then bam, they were in love and inseparable. I guess it was just the time line that seemed funny and was hard for me to really picture their crazy in love status.

There is a bit of a plot twist which kept up some of the suspense and drama. It was cool and heartbreaking all at once.

I think this is a great book for all ages, well teen and up. This is a book that I think adults will like and learn from just as much as their teen counterparts. John Green, you did good with this!

Fly Guy vs. The Flyswatter by Tedd Arnold

from goodreads

4 stars

One thing I have noticed this year is that I don't have very many houseflies in my house. I don't know if it is because it was a cooler summer, or maybe my house isn't a very good environment for them, but, I am definitely noticing a distinct lack of buzzing.

Growing up I lived in a farmhouse that was over 100 years old. And every summer in the bedrooms upstairs we would get tons of houseflies. There were so many you could put your hand on the window and smush a bunch without much of an effort. We would usually take the vacuum cleaner to the windows and suck them up. There were just so many.

This year we do have a lot of fruit flies. We have our fruit fly traps which have been doing a pretty good job. But outside in our greenbin it is a fruit fly metropolis. I was putting some of our compostables into the greenbin and as soon as I lifted the lid it was a crazy swarm. I think three flew up my nose. Believe me that is not a pleasant sensation. But, I would rather them be outside then in my house. Just not outside the house and up my nose.

Synopsis

Fly Guy goes to school with Buzz. When they find out they are going on a school trip to a flyswatter factory, Fly Guy gets nervous, but then gets even.

My Thoughts

This is one of a series of Fly Guy books. I was introduced to them when my oldest daughter was in Junior Kindergarten and brought it home from the school library, or  maybe her teacher gave her one as a prize. It was three years ago so I don't really remember the details anymore. Needless to say she brought one home, we read it and thus began our love affair of the Fly Guy books.

This one is great because you see Fly Guy going from timid and scared, to brave and daring. He stands up for what he knows is right, rescues a little fly about to be swatted and shows everyone that technology has no place when it comes to flyswatters.

I love how the book is divided into chapters which gives changes of scenes and locations a seamless feel.

When I read these books I almost get a comic book feel without it having to actually be a comic book. The words are simple yet the stories compelling.

Judging by my kids these stories are perfect for a 5 to 7 year old age range. My oldest is in the middle of her seventh year and doesn't really read them anymore, or ask for them to be read. She will still listen to them if I am reading it to the middle child but she will not instigate it.

While this book would never be my first choice of stories to read my kids, I still like the adventure of it and the funniness of them and the kids enjoyment out of it. That's what reading picture books is all about.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

from goodreads

5 stars

There are some books that are meant to be read at certain points of your life. There are books I read as a preteen and real teen, that meant a lot to me at that time period. If I tried to read them now they would not have the same impact. But there are other books that I read as a teen that still give me insight and help shape the world around me. They still help me decide what I should value in the world, and what I should change. The help me be me.

The Giver is one of these books. Every time I read it I fall in love with it again and I am able to re-evaluate what I find important and what I do not. What I want the world to become and what I fear.

I am bit leery about seeing the movie. This book is so near and dear to me I am worried what Hollywood is going to do to it. Will I be sitting there saying "that's not how it was in the book, why did they do it like that?" Or will it give me an even deeper understanding to the world that Lowry created and thus a deeper understanding into our own world? We'll have wait and see.

Do you have a book like this? A book that no matter which time in your life you read it it still gives you joy and fulfillment?

***Spoiler Alert***
I am going to do my best at not giving any spoilers. But I know this book inside and out and may inadvertently give too much information. So there might not be any spoilers, but then there may not be. So read at own risk. :)

Synopsis

Jonas is entering an important stage in his life. He is twelve and at that age he gets placed in the career that he will work in for his life. He is excited and nervous all at the same time. But, when his name is skipped over at the ceremony, the whole community is a titter. Then he meets, the "Giver".

My Thoughts

I love this book. To me this is the ultimate dystopian. I can still remember the first time I read this book. I was twelve, my mom handed it to me before a road trip. And I was sitting in the front of our Plymouth Sundance totally in awe.

I love the world Lowry creates. I love how she slowly gives you tidbits about the community. I started picturing it one way and then she gives us another clue and it totally changes how I picture things. This makes it exciting and also gives the choices the community has made greater impact. For example, I pictured the streets with a bit of a slant or hill, especially when going towards the river, but then I read that there were no hills or real contrasts in elevation. Mind blowing.

I love how this book teaches the importance of love and bonding with friends and family. It teaches how important our emotions are, especially those of love. It also teaches the importance of facing hurt, disappointment and heart ache, with bravery and patience as this helps us with our empathy and understanding of others.

There is one scene that disturbs me more as a mother than it did when I first read it. It is the one with the baby twins. Some might say this scene shouldn't be in the book. But I think it opens the door for important discussion. A discussion that teens need to have so they can decide where their moral compass lies.

I would love to have more answers to some of my questions about this community. Such as, how many other communities are like this? How are they able to control the weather? How did this get formed? Why are they so technologically advanced when some of the other books in the series seem not as advanced? And so on. But without these questions answered it is still a satisfying read.

It is a simple tale, and it doesn't go as in depth as some adult readers might want it too but, as a older kids/YA book, it is great. It begins the conversation. This is the first book in The Giver Quartet. I have read all of them. I think The Giver is still my favourite, though I did enjoy the other books as well. They deal with different issues, yet they still allow a conversation to be had. Books that provide the jumping off point for conversations can't be all that bad.

Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis

from goodreads

2.5 stars

Sorry this post is a bit late. It was the first day of school here, and I am trying to get back into a routine. Today I also had quite a few errands to run which included the dreaded shoe shopping for my fashionista five year old. It didn't help that at the first two stores we went to they had hardly any selection and the shoes they did have were not her size. Like seriously, are all little girls feet now the same size as my daughter's???

Oh well, we got there eventually. We found a pair that she liked, and I liked the price of. There are glittery hearts on the toes and she is happy that they have green sparkles because green is now her favourite colour. So step aside pink, there is a new colour in town.

Synopsis

When Ladybug Girl is not allowed to play with her brother and his friends she finds fun and adventure all on her own.

My Thoughts

Well, we finally got the first Ladybug Girl book of the series. I am still not sure how they got a series deal out of these books. Perhaps others in the series are better. When I read this, as well as the other one I kept wondering what the point was? Are they trying to show off the awesomely huge backyard Ladybug Girl has? Maybe they are trying to show that it is important to be a friend with yourself?

There really wasn't much of a plot, rising action, climax, resolution or anything. Her brother didn't turn nice and invite her to play. She was not overcome with the joy of being her own friend, though she did appreciate not playing with her brother as he and his friends started arguing about baseball. It was just her going from one part of her backyard to another.

I will admit. I did like the illustrations, but it wasn't enough for me to give this book a winning endorsement.

Perhaps I am missing something about these books. If you have read them and you liked them, please explain it to me so I know what I am missing, because for me... I just don't get it.