Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody by Ludworst Bemonster aka Rick Walton, Illustrated by Nathan Hale

from goodreads

4 stars

I don't know about the timing of things in retail. I can't find a bathing suit in July but I am able to find my Hallowe'en costume. How can that be right? When I was visiting a friend in Michigan a couple weekends ago we went to Hobby Lobby (that store is dangerously awesome) and they were already having sales on their Christmas decor! What is going on!

Well, at least the library waited until last week to bring out their Hallowe'en books. That is a bit better. So to help get me into the Hallowe'en spirit I got out a whole bunch, so you will be seeing a lot of Hallowe'en books over the next little bit. Happy Hallowe'en in a month!

Synopsis

A clever and spooky tale inspired by Madeline. But instead of little girls it is little monsters.

My Thoughts

I loved this book. It made me laugh and smile. The similarities in style to Madeline were spot on which made this book all the more awesome. I loved how it was "twelve little monsters in two crooked lines". Awesome.

Where the book fell from a full 5 for me was the ending. It seemed to fall a bit flat. It was almost as if the author was like, "well we need to wrap this up, lets just end it now". I don't know it just was weird and left me feeling lacking. The rest of the book was so spot on perfect that you can almost forgive the strange ending.

So if you are looking for a book to get you into the Hallowe'en spirit pick this one up. It is a hoot!

Olivia by Ian Falconer

from goodreads

4 stars

Being a busy mom has some perks. Honestly, if you are into comedy be around a 6 year old. Sometimes Miss G's wit is astounding. Miss P is more into physical comedy. She loves looking at you through her legs. What a goof ball.

As a busy mom who likes to read I love reading books that show how parents really see their kids. I love it when authors get the nuances of what kids do. I love when they share the same frustrations you do. It makes you feel you are not alone. My husband recently picked out a book for me at the library and said, "I think you should read this." It was Go the F$#@ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach. The book spoke truer words to me then ever. If you can handle a bit of profanity and you have kids that are constantly coming out of their room at night or are now toddlers and still have trouble sleeping, this is truly a book you will appreciate. (Just don't say what is in the book to your kids, you definitely won't win parenting points then.)

Synopsis

This is a book about Olivia, who is good at lots of things. See a day in the life of one awesome girl.

My Thoughts

We got this book when Miss V was little. She is now 8. Where did the time go? I loved in then as much as I love it now. This is definitely a modern children's classic.

I love the illustrations. They are simple, using only black white and red, yet they express so much. I love the use of other famous works of art in the story. It starts to pique the children's interest into what art can be and how it can be used to make us feel different things.

I love some of the dry humour used, especially when talking about the sandcastle. It's one of my favourite bits.

I love how I can see different bits of my kids in this book. Not all children are the same or identical. I can't say, "oh yes, Miss G is definitely the same as Olivia". Yet, each of my kids share some personality traits that I can see in the character, and that is kind of cool.

If you haven't read it I would put this on your kids to read list. If you have read it, it is worth another read, even if your kids are all grown up.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz

from goodreads

4 stars

Despite the title of this book, I think it is going to be a green Christmas here in Waterloo. Not that I mind the green. It means it is warm enough that we can do things outside, but then it is too warm to have snow, which we want to do the things outside we want to do. It is sort of a Catch-22 (a book that I have tried to read and just didn't get). Tomorrow, as long as it is not raining, we will be going skating which will be fun. There is an outdoor rink in the uptown square and luckily it has a cooling system, so no ice will be melting on us!

I guess snow does make the Christmas atmosphere more Christmasy. But, when you think about it, Christmas is celebrated all over the world, and that means that it isn't snowing everywhere when Christmas is. So I guess we are having a southern hemisphere Christmas this year, and that is okay with me. Now if only we could have southern hemisphere temperatures too!

Synopsis

When boy with dog sees a snowflake he keeps up the hope of a great snow even though all those around him tell him not to get his hopes up.

My Thoughts

I like this book. I like what the author calls some of the characters: boy with dog, grandfather with beard and man with hat. I also like how he captures the atmosphere before a snow. How everything was gray. It is amazing how gray November and December can be when there is no snow. Even the grass seems to be gray.

It is great how he builds up the snow. At first it is just one flake then two etc. By doing that he seems to build up a kind of anticipation. Will it snow or will the adults be right?

It got kinda weird when the statues from the bookstore start to dance with the boy, but to others it might be a nice touch of whimsy.

The illustrations are interesting. They match the story and set a great tone for the book.

It is a great book for when you are waiting for the snow to come.