Ah, fellow booknerds…I’m so sorry I’ve been absent. Things have been, globally speaking, insane in the membrane (insane in the brain).

Today, we finished our schoolwork a bit early and the weather is super-gloomy…so I’m here to review a book with my number-one picture-book-reading-buddy…Lily!

I asked her to choose a book from her bookshelf. She was gone for ten minutes. I began to worry and potentially think about going to check on her, but I enjoyed the silence too much. She then proceeded to bring me several books we’d already reviewed. But, after much ado, here’s what she decided on…

Title: After the Fall
Author/Illustrator: Dan Santat
Published:  Roaring Brook Press, 2017

My favourite picture book of all time. Oh, Lily. You knew we needed this today.

Okay, so guys…guys…this book. It’s amazing. It’s outstanding. It’s so good. It’s the perfect picture book. But, you know, no over-hyping here.

Just that it’s written by the most talented children’s author/illustrator out there, it’s the most wonderful spin on a nursery rhyme character we all know, it’s got an incredibly powerful message and the writing is tight and the art is amazing.

Also, every person I’ve given a copy to (which is quite a lot of people, really), absolutely adores it as much as I do. (Okay, maybe not AS much, as that would be impossible, but they love it a lot). This was the book I gave to Vivi’s grade one teacher, the teacher that made school something she loved. This was the only book that really summed up how I felt about how she changed Vivi’s life and helped her to fly. It’s the book I read when things look bleak. When I need encouragement. When I want to feel hope. It’s the book that still gives me the feels every time I read the ending. This. Book. Right. Here.

Anyway…

We read the book once again and here’s the follow-up interview with my tiny cohort.

J: What did you think, Lily?
L: It was great! I loved it when he turned into a bird.
J: That’s kind of a spoiler. We probably shouldn’t focus too much on that just yet.
L: Okay, well, I really liked the cereal page. I LOVE the cereals on the top row. The best one is the “Just Marshmallows” cereal. I’d eat that! The most boring one is the one on the bottom row that looks like Baba (her grandfather…my dad…and it does look like him, on the box).
J: What do you think the Baba cereal tastes like?
L: Socks.
J: What do you think the saddest part of the story was?
L: When Humpty fell off the wall.
J: What do you think it means when it says that some parts of him couldn’t be put together with bandages and glue?
L: He was hurt on the outside and scared on the inside.
J: What was your second-favourite page?
L: The page with his plane. It’s beautiful. He made it look like a bird because he wanted to watch the birds.
J: How do you think he felt when his plane got stuck on the wall?
L: Scared. He was afraid he’d fall again.
J: Did you know he was going to hatch at the end?
L: No, not the first time we read it. That was a really good surprise.
J: So, is this one of your favourite books?
L: Yup.
J: Thanks, Lily.
L: Lily out.

So, the tl;dr version:

Buy a copy of this book because it’s my favourite and it’s perfect in every way and you won’t be sorry. Also, give a copy to every single person you love/like/tolerate/know. Because it will brighten their day and make the world a better place. Deal? Deal.

Title: Harold and Hog Pretend For Real!
Author/Illustrator Dan Santat (with intro/extro by Mo Willems)
Published: Hyperion Books for Children, 2019

I have a confession to make. I know it’s not something most parents admit to, but I have my favourites. My favourite picture books, that is. Those that I like, I read to my kiddos frequently (mostly Lily these days). Those that I do not like…well…they are shuffled unceremoniously to the back of the bookshelf/shuttled quickly back to the library, never to be spoken of again. (Until one of the kids asks about the book, and I’m all like, “Berenstain Bears Save Christmas? Hm. You must’ve read that at your grandparents’ house. I’ve never heard of that ridiculously long, poorly-rhymed, annoying to read monstrosity.”)

Fortunately, today is about a book I really like. It’s by two of my all-time favourite children’s book author/illustrators, Mo Willems and Dan Santat. As you might remember from here, here, here, here, and here, I’m a bit of a Mo & Dan fan. (Again, really trying to make “Fantat” happen, but it’s just not sticking. Yet.) Today’s book is super-funny on its own, an even funnier if you happen to be familiar (or excessively familiar, as I am) with the Elephant and Piggie series (by Mo Willems).

As I’ve likely mentioned before, we own every single Elephant and Piggie book EVER written. Even after years of reading and re-reading, they are still some of Lily’s favourites (and mine too). I always keep an eye out for new Mo Willems stories because they never, ever fail to impress (stay tuned for a review of the brand-new Pigeon book next week). When I saw that Mr. Willems teamed up with Mr. Santat for an Elephant and Piggie Love Reading story, I had to order the book.

On Prime. for next day delivery. Because, OMG. I couldn’t wait.

I mean, the kids couldn’t wait.

Ahem.

Here’s the reacap! The book starts with Elephant Gerald and Piggie finding a book about an elephant and a pig (that would be Harold, the elephant, and Hog, the pig). They decide to read the book, and Harold and Hog see Elephant and Piggie from within their book. They are huge E&P fans and are all “OMG, it’s them!” Harold thinks it might be a fun idea to pretend to BE Gerald and Piggie.

Harold, being an elephant, decides he’ll play the part of Gerald. And Hog, being of the porcine persuasion, gets cast as Piggie.  And that would be all well and good, except for one thing:

In her heart, Hog is a total Gerald. And Harold is a total Piggie. Harold is fun! He’s carefree! He’s imaginative! Hog is cautious. She’s careful. She’s generally concerned.

It looks like the pretending is a total bust, until they realize something: Harold can pretend to be Piggie, and Hog can pretend to be Gerald! They have a terrific time, and the book ends with Piggie and Gerald pretending to be Harold and Hog.

Whew, that sounded way more complicated than the story actually is.

The art is, as you might expect, perfection. I think Dan Santat is probably the best illustrator out there right now. Everything he does is just wonderful. The style of Hog and Harold is hilarious, because it’s really just a more detailed version of Elephant and Piggie.

The story does ‘pretending’ really, really well. I wasn’t sure Lily would get it totally, but she completely did. She loved it. She has asked for the story at least ten times since it arrived at our house.

Also, can I just admit something? I try to act like I’m Piggie/Harold, but in my heart I’m a total Gerald/Hog. #anxious4lyfe!

And one more thing? I love Mo and Dan separately, but together they’re even better.

Mama’s review: 5/5, A+, always.

Lily’s review: “I love it! Read it again!”

Vivi’s review (she saw me reviewing the book and decided to read it herself): “I just love this the book. I think it’s really funny that Harold and Hog see Elephant and Piggie outside of their book. That’s why I like it.”

Title: A Family is a Family is a Family
Author: Sara O’Leary
Illustrator: Qin Leng
Published: Groundwood Books, 2016

There are books that Lily likes. We read those about once a week. Then there are books she LOVES and they are on a far higher rotation. This is one of the ‘LOVE’ books. We’ve read A Family is a family is a family so many times…and yet, it doesn’t get old.

And trust me when I say that MOST books get old after being read for the fifteenth time in a single day.

This book is a bit magical – it’s super-simple (in terms of premise) but it does what it does (explaining the concept of a family/who makes up a family) beautifully and elegantly. And the art works so well in supporting the text. It’s delightful all around.

These are the things we (that would be Lily and yours truly) like best about the book:

1. The Duggar-sized family: we like counting all the children and marvelling at why one would want to go through so many pregnancies because OMG, pregnancy is basically the most uncomfortable, nausea-filled experience a person can have. (Mostly I marvel about that part.)
2. The kid with a ton of grandparents: we’ve tried to figure out HOW he has so many grandparents, and the closest we can come is that maybe he lives in an old person’s home with his primary set of grandparents, and has adopted many other elderly people.
3. The one with the grandma: when the kid says that her grandma is her everything, I always choke up a bit. It’s sweet to think that you’re potentially that important to the little people in your life.
4. The two dads page: I love the fact that two dads/two moms are featured in this book. Whenever we reach the two dads page, Lily always says “Like Uncle Jay and Uncle Shean are to Bumper, Mia, and Lara!” (Note: the latter three names belong to cats. My BFF and his hubby are cat-dads.)
5. The final page, when you meet the little girl who started off the story. It turns out, she’s a foster kid. The response her foster mom gives a curious stranger is absolutely perfect. (“Oh, I don’t have any imaginary children. All my children are real.”)

As someone who is a big believer in ‘family is who you choose,’ I love this book. It shows that one doesn’t need to share blood to share a bond. (My girls already know this, seeing as they have about 25 non-related aunties, uncles and cousins that they adore…but it’s good to have it reinforced.)

A Family is a family is a family is one of those warm-and-fuzzy books. It’s wonderful and affirming and a terrific read before bed. It also covers pretty much every combination and permutation of families that you’re likely to encounter. And, OK, so they didn’t feature cat-dads, but aside from that, this book doesn’t miss a thing.

Mama’s review: 5/5

Lily’s review: “I just love this book. It’s all about what it means to be a family.”