Title: Laundry Day
Author/Illustrator: Jessixa Bagley
Published: Roaring Brook Press, 2017

Today’s book is another from our massive library haul. It’s about something that adults loathe (laundry), but that kids, oddly, find fun. (At least the part where they jump in piles of clean laundry when you’re trying to sort them on the bed. Or is that just at my house?)

We start by meeting brother badgers Tic and Tac. They are like many kids in the summer: bored. Their patient mom suggests several activities, but the boys have done them all. Then Ma Badger suggests helping her hang up the laundry. After a brief explanation about how it’s done, she sets them to work.

And it turns out Tic and Tac enjoy hanging stuff up! Ma leaves them to it as she sets off for the market. After a short while, the boys realize they’ve hung up everything in the laundry basket. Fortunately, they still have lots of clothespins left, and heaps of twine. So what do they do? Raid the house for odds and ends, tchotchkes, and all sorts of things, of course!

The boys end up hanging every single thing from their house that isn’t nailed down.

Then Ma arrives home.

She takes in the whole scene: the contents of her house, hung from a line that weaves through the yard, from tree to tree. She then notices two things that Tic and Tac forgot to hang up.

On the last page, the boys are hanging from their pants on the line. They wonder if Ma needs help with dinner…

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a book about laundry, but I was pleasantly surprised! There are three things I like about this book:

1. The art. It’s really sweet and quaint and sort of old-fashioned. The mom is wearing an apron and a housedress and the little shack they live in reminds me of Appalachia. The little details really make this book (my kids looked for the white bunny on each page).
2. The story is silly. My girls immediately saw where the story was going, and they really got into it. They imagined what it would be like if they did something like that (I reminded them that we have a lovely electric dryer that I cherish and adore).
3. The ending. OK, so the story is a little bit of a set up for a punch line, but it works. The badgers are mischievous and my girls immediately started discussing what would happen if the badgers ‘helped’ mom with dinner. (The verdict: chaos! Large pots of stew! Sundaes made of everything from the fridge!)

This book is what I’d refer to as ‘nice.’ Your kids aren’t going to bust a gut laughing, they’re not going to learn anything (except maybe that people hang up clothes to dry if they don’t have a dryer), but they are really going to enjoy the story. It’s sweet. If you get a chance, give this one a look.

Mama’s review: 8/10
Vivi’s review: B+ for badgers
Lily’s review: “When’s the dinner one coming out?” (She means “When is the author going to write a book about what happens when the badgers help with dinner? Because she mentioned it, so clearly this is a set up for a sequel.”)

Title: Bad Kitty
Author/Illustrator: Nick Bruel
Published: Roaring Brook Press, 2005

Just a quick note before this review: I want to make sure I review books beyond our shelves (though we have a very, very, very long way to go before we’ve exhausted our own book supply). I also want to give us the chance to react honestly to books we’ve never seen before.

So that’s why my local library is down 30 books. (Sorry, residents of Woodbridge.)

Yes, I have a month’s worth of new (to us) books to review! To that, I say:
1. Yay! New boooooks!
2. Support your local library!
3. “Honey, I think we need our own copy of most of these books…”

Tonight, we’re taking a look at a book I saw in passing (a kid was clutching it possessively in her stroller) and knew Lily would love…yes, we’re looking at Bad Kitty!

I had no idea what kind of book Bad Kitty would be, but I have this to say (yes, another list…someone is being a lazy writer tonight):

1. I’ve read the book five times and we’ve only had it in our house for seven hours.
2. Lily already wants a copy for her birthday.
3. Lily also noticed that this is part of a series of Bad Kitty books (they’re listed on the jacket flap). She has requested the other books for “Christmas, Easter, my other birthdays…”
4. Vivi found the book hilarious as well. Even being a non-cat fanatic, she enjoyed it.

So what’s it all about? Well, a bad kitty. A REALLY bad kitty. But she wasn’t always bad…it just kind of happened one day when they ran out of cat food. (Who among us hasn’t been a bit hangry? I can’t really blame Kitty for that.) Her family tried to feed her all kinds of *terrible* things (for cats). Everything from asparagus to zucchini – yuck!

So Kitty did some really naughty things. She ate homework…she bit grandma! She irritated a baby! She ran the gamut of bad cat acts from A-Z, quite literally.

But then…mom (or whomever did the grocery shopping, I’m just projecting) arrived home with a variety of cat-friendly foods. (These are hilarious. My favourite is Uncle Murray. He’s so confused! Oh, and the excess of T-Rex. Can you really ever have too much T-Rex?) And Kitty is delighted! She decides to be a good kitty. But not just good…REALLY good. Once again, we romp through the alphabet, this time while Kitty makes amends for all the things she had done wrong, (I laughed out loud when Kitty filed the taxes).

It seems that all’s well that ends well…until the family decides to reward Kitty with a puppy of her very own. Who will, of course, share her food.

The last page is hilarious, and on the back cover, the puppy is covered in purple paint (courtesy of Kitty).

It is SO awesome to find a funny book that stands up to multiple readings. I’ve read stories in the past that work the first time because of the surprise factor. (At risk of having an unpopular opinion, I felt that BJ Novak’s A Book With No Pictures definitely fit the “it’s funniest the first time, then less funny each subsequent time” bill.) I’ve read this book five times now, and it’s just as good as the first time.

The art is excellent. The cat’s design is super, and the cartoon-ish nature of the book fits the frantic pace perfectly. I love the use of the alphabet to guide us through kitty’s goodness/badness/food choices.

I know a copy of this book (and the other Bad Kitty books) will be taking up residence on our bookshelf soon. And this mama is delighted about that!

Mama’s review: A+
Vivi’s review: 10
Lily’s review: “Read it again! I love Bad Kitty!”

Title: Worm Loves Worm
Author: J.J. Austrian
Illustrator: Mike Curato
Published: Balzer & Bray, 2016

When a worm loves a worm, what is the happy couple to do? Get married of course! That’s the simple premise of this adorable picture book: get married to the person (or worm) you love best.

Even if a cricket tells you that you need to have someone preside over your wedding (because that’s how it’s always been done).
Even if a beetle tells you that he should be your ‘best beetle’ (because that’s how it’s always been done).
Even if the bees tell you that they should really be your bride’s bees (because that’s how it’s always been done).
And even if you don’t have fingers for rings, or feet to dance or if neither of you specifically wants to wear a complete tuxedo or bridal ensemble. It doesn’t matter what’s the ‘usual’ or ‘the way things are supposed to be.’ What matters is what you’re comfortable with and what makes you (and your partner) happy.*

The art in this book is adorable. Worms are deceptively difficult to draw in a cute and expressive way, but Mike Curato nails it. The story is so positive and lovely.

If you’re looking for a book that’s about:
a) loving who you love
b) adorable worms and their insect friends, and
c) following your heart, no matter what others may say

then this is the book for you! Happy Pride, everyone!

Mama’s review: 4.5/5
Vivi’s review: 5 worms/5
Lily’s review: The bees are really cute!

And that’s why I wore purple instead of white at my wedding, and had a giant cookie buffet with take-home bags and why our ‘save-the-date’ cards featured my husband and I on a Magic the Gathering card. Because it’s all about what makes the couple happy!

Title: A Peacock Among Pigeons
Author: Tyler Curry
Illustrator: Clarione Gutierrez
Published: Mascot Books, 2017

Can you believe it’s almost the end of June? In Toronto that means one thing: Pride weekend! If you’ve never been to a Pride parade, I highly recommend it. I’ve been several times and it’s incredibly colourful and fun. My best friend even met his husband at Pride! It’s a good time, and it’s an important celebration of how far the LGBTQ community has come, while also recognizing how much work there is left to do. So, in honour of this wonderful weekend (technically, it’s a month-long celebration, I know), I’m going to be reviewing books written by LGBTQ authors and about LGBTQ relationships. I am a big believer in the power of picture books, and from the bottom of my heart, I feel it’s incredibly important that kids understand that love is love and everyone deserves the same happiness.

A couple of years ago, I purposely went looking for LGBTQ books to share with my girls and I kind of fell in love with A Peacock Among Pigeons. It’s all about Peter, who happens to be a peacock that was born into a family of pigeons. The pigeons really don’t get him – why is he so fancy? Why can’t he walk normally? At first, Peter tries his best to hide who he is, to fit in with his flock. The problem is, no matter what he does, he is still a peacock. He can’t contain his colourful feathers or change the way he talks.

So Peter leaves.

Initially, he’s pretty lonely. But then he meets Craig (a sassy cardinal), Sara (a friendly canary), Owen (a smart, sophisticated owl) and then those birds introduced him to MORE birds and guess what? None of them make fun of Peter! In fact, they think he’s pretty special. But it’s not until Peter notices a really gorgeous bird in a puddle that he realizes his true beauty – it’s a reflection of course, and for the first time Peter sees himself for who he truly is. And he is happy.

The last pages of the book encourage kids to embrace who they are, no matter who that might be. Whether smart or sassy or bold or cool,, just keep going and don’t let anyone get you down.

I’m not going to lie, I teared up while reading this story for the first time. I know how hard it was for my best friend to come out to his friends and family (spoiler alert: everything turned out great and everyone loves him and his husband a whole lot), and how hard it is for kids who don’t have that love and support at home. Any book that can make me cry is always a winner.

If I was going to give any creative criticism, I’d say that the book tends to be a teeny bit on the wordy side and might’ve benefited from a bit of trimming here and there. But the writing is extremely positive and uplifting, so don’t let a page of text scare you off.

My girls really enjoy this story. They like Peter and they are always so happy when he flies away from those buzzkill pigeons and ventures out to find friends who love him as he is. The art is bold and flashy and the birds have excellent facial expressions. (I’m not the only one who has issues with drawing bird expressions, right? I just never know what to do with the beak. But I digress.) The whole book will leave you feeling grateful for those who love you, and grateful that you have the chance to love them right back.

This is an excellent book for Pride weekend, or anytime you want to remind kids to love themselves and love their friends, unconditionally, for who they are.

Mama’s review: A
Vivi’s review: A bright and colourful 9/10
Lily’s review: Yay peacocks!

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Title: Here Comes Teacher Cat
Author: Deborah Underwood
Illustrator: Claudia Rueda
Published: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017

Have you ever met a kid who’s really obsessed with a particular animal? My older daughter, Vivi, adores lemurs. She currently has a lemur troop of ten cheerful ring-tailed stuffies. We own any lemur-related books on the market. Vivi knows more about lemurs than most adults. She was the go-to primate expert in her kindergarten class. Take home lesson: lemurs are pretty neat.

My younger daughter, Lily, doesn’t care all that much about lemurs. Her heart was won over early by a now-extremely-ratty-stuffed cat named M’Mow. She is slightly obsessed with my best friend’s three patient cats and my brother’s one very fluffy cat. She loves cat everything. She would love to have a real cat for a pet, but horrible cat allergies (mine) prevent that from happening (until she moves out and becomes a total cat-lady).

When I first saw the “Cat” series, I knew the books would appeal to Lily. What I didn’t count on was how much the rest of us would love them. Most notably, my mom.  (She asks to read these to the girls anytime they request a book. I don’t know what it is, but Cat just speaks to her.) The entire series is fantastic, but seeing as it’s almost summertime, I’m going to look specifically at Here Comes Teacher Cat today.

There are a few things you should know about Cat:

1. He’s not a super-active cat. He’s…well…kinda lazy, really.

2. He ‘talks’ using signs. They look like the ones you might see on a picket line (wooden stick, poster board), and they’re very entertaining. (Truth time: my favourite Cat book is Valentine’s Cat. The signs in that one are hilarious!)

3. Cat isn’t naturally giving or caring, but he can be talked/forced/coerced into it. (Kind of like kids!)

In this story, Cat’s substitute teacher services are required at Kitty School. His schedule is pretty packed (9:00- nap, 10:00 – nap, 11:00, nap…), so he initially refuses to help out. When the narrator reminds him of all the nice things Miss Melba, the teacher, has done for him, Cat relents. After a false start (putting a cardboard cutout of himself in the classroom and sleeping under the teacher’s desk), he’s off to the races. And he does a great job! Cat turns out to be a natural teacher. Sure, his music class is more loud than melodic and his paw-painting makes the entire classroom a multi-coloured mess, but his fish-fountain is tops!

In the end, Cat learns (of course) that Kitty School is fun…and that KITTIES are fun! And the kitties learn to…talk with signs!

The writing in the Cat books is excellent. Every single one is really fun to read aloud (this is so key)! The pictures are absolutely perfect. Claudia Rueda has done a stellar job capturing Cat’s disgruntled expressions and bewildered glances. My favourite two pages are the one with Cat in bed (the narrator is trying to wake him up, and he holds up a sign that displays him sleeping in bed) and the one where he paw-paints with the kitties. The colours are so lovely and bright. I wouldn’t mind too much if my classroom looked like that!

We are always on the lookout for new Cat books. We have all of them so far and they are in frequent rotation at our house. If you have a cat-fan at home, Cat will not disappoint. He will only delight!

Mama’s review: A+
Vivi’s review: “I liked the fish fountain. Would that actually work in reality?”
Lily’s review: “CATS!”

Title: Children Make Terrible Pets
Author/Illustrator: Peter Brown
Published: Little, Brown and Company, 2010

Have you ever wandered through a forest and wondered what it would be like to borrow one or ten of the woodland creatures to take home and keep for a pet? Well, I have. So many times. Personally, I’d go for a baby chipmunk or potentially a wayward capybara. (Note: don’t say this never happens…a pair of capybaras escaped from High Park in Toronto a couple of years back…and I’m not gonna lie, I searched the park in hopes of putting a leash on one of those giant rodents and pretending it was my strangely shaped dog.)

Ahem.

Anyway, let’s meet Lucy!

Who’s Lucy? A bear. Lucille Beatrice Bear, to be precise. She is the star of the extremely talented Peter Brown’s book, Children Make Terrible Pets (and subsequently, You Will Be My Friend! – to be reviewed at a later date).

This delightful picture book starts with Lucy practicing her twirls outside (as one does). She notices that someone is watching her…and it turns out to be a human boy! Unfortunately, Lucy cannot understand what he’s saying…but he does squeak rather nicely, so she calls him Squeaker. She decides he will be her pet. Her mom, however, isn’t so sure. She warns Lucy about what a lot of trouble children are, and tries to talk her out of it.

But Lucy knows Squeaker will make a great pet. And at first, he does. They do all kinds of fun things together. They are totally inseparable. (Side note: my favourite picture in the entire book is when Lucy and Squeaker nap together. I looked into getting a print of that picture for my kids…I love it SO much…more on the art in a minute.)

After a little while, Lucy notices that Squeaker isn’t such a perfect pet after all. He throws food! He wrecks the furniture! He’s impossible to potty train. And then…he disappears!

Lucy tracks Squeaker down and finds that he’s returned to his family. She knows, deep down, that that’s where he belongs. With her Mom’s help, she accepts the fact that maybe children do make terrible pets.

…but what about an elephant?

This story is excellent. If you notice, in the picture above, our copy is a wee bit loved. I’ve read this to my girls so many times since they were tiny. My oldest has a special spot in her heart for Lucy (and named one of her teddy bears after her). The art in this book is just lovely to look at. The backgrounds being wood-grain add nicely to the ‘forest-y’ feel of the whole story. Lucy is such a well-designed character and her mom is so funny (I love her half-glasses and pearls). There are so many sweet little scenes in this story, and I would get posters of all of them for my office if I could.

I don’t know who loves this book more, me or my kids! Give it a read and see for yourself – Peter Brown is amazing.

Mama’s review: A+
Vivi’s review: 10 Squeakers/10
Lily’s review: I like the kangaroo costume!

Title: I’m Bored
Author: Michael Ian Black
Illustrator: Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Published: Simon & Schuster, 2012

Know the old nineties song called Flagpole Sitta from Rodney Danger? No? Well, that’s because you’ve got better musical taste than I do and you’re not old like me! But trust me, it was quite the tune. And it had a line that I’ve quoted since first I heard it (much to the chagrin of my children/everyone in my life, really):

“If you’re bored, then you’re boring.”

This is so true. The most interesting people in my life are never, ever bored. Like, even in airports. Even at the dentist. Even at the airport dentist (note: this would be pretty much the absolute WORST place in the world for me).  Anyway, today’s book is all about being bored. And being a potato, but I’ll get to that.

Michael Ian Black has written a really silly, funny book. It’s all about a little girl who is sooooo booooored. Seriously, totally, 100% bored.
Then a potato bonks her on the head. And starts talking to her, hoping to find a flamingo to liven things up. No flamingo materializes, but things DO get more interesting.

The potato, it turns out, thinks that KIDS are really boring. It’s up to the little girl to prove him wrong. And she tries to! She shows the potato how kids can turn cartwheels…how they can spin around and around (until they almost throw up)…how they can imagine that they’re ballerinas or lion tamers or ANYTHING.

But does that impress a potato? No. No it does not. Throughout the book, he mostly says one single phrase: “Boring.”

In the end, the little girl dresses like a potato herself and is still deemed ‘boring.’ She gives up! How can this potato not see how INTERESTING and un-boring she is? Off she storms, full of imagination and plans.  At that moment, along comes the flamingo the potato figured would brighten up his day…the flamingo, however, has but one thing to say:

“I’m bored.”

Cue the giggles! My girls both find this book really funny. As someone who reads a LOT of kid lit, I can only recommend doing a squeaky little-kid voice for the girl and a Mr. Grumpfish-esque voice for the potato. (You know, that grumpy fish that shows up on Bubble Guppies now and then? That guy. He has a great potato voice.)

The art is sweet and simple, and it works really well with the story. The little girl is cute and the potato’s expressions are hilarious…he’s just so darn insistent on being bored. (And, let’s be honest, aren’t ALL potatoes kinda boring?)

Next time your kiddos are bored, bust this one out. If nothing else, they’ll be inspired to fire up their own imaginations…and probably appreciate the fact that they’re not potatoes.

Mama’s rating: 4/5 potatoes
Vivi’s rating: 9/10
Lily’s rating: “That potato is hilarious!”

Title: Hug Machine
Written/Illustrated by: Scott Campbell
Published: Simon and Schuster, 2014

There are few things in this world cuter than toddler hugs. Baby capybaras? Maybe. But toddler hugs are pretty much up there on the ol’ cute scale. This book is about a sweet little boy who gives hugs to literally everyone and everything. Whale? Yup. Porcupine? Sure, why not? Everyone in his neighbourhood? You bet. This little guy cannot be stopped (except to refuel on pizza).

OK, wait, you might say. This sounds like a super-simple concept for a book.

And you’d be right. But it works! Why? Because of the following:

1. As always, the art in a picture book makes all the difference. In this case, it’s sweet and watercolour-y and lovely. Everything is just adorable and looks, well, huggable.
2. There are silly/quirky little bits that make the book funny. When the boy hugs the porcupine, for instance. Or when he does a massive tour of his whole neighbourhood, hugging everyone and culminating in a giant HUG on the next page? Awesome. (And, just a note: if you’re reading this, say “HUG” in a loud, operatic voice. It’s funnier that way.)
3. The ending works. When the hug machine tires of hugging everyone, he gets a hug from…who else? Mom.

This book is a good one to read before bed. It’s a nice way to end the day, leaving your little one with a feeling of being loved before they drift off to sleep. Lily really likes this book, and even though it’s a bit young for her, Vivi still enjoys a good reading of Hug Machine.

Mama’s rating: 5 big hugs/5
Vivi’s rating: 10/10
Lily’s rating: “I like the pizza part!”

Title: The Three Ninja Pigs
Author: Corey Rosen Schwartz
Illustrator: The FABULOUS Dan Santat
Published: Scholastic, 2012

One great day at Scholastic,
An editor thought he might,
Call on his pal Dan,
And to finish his plan,
He’d get his buddy Corey to write!

By joining their incredible forces,
Corey Rosen Schwartz and Dan Santat,
They took an old fave,
Made it cool and brave,
And really fun to read at that!

OK, so writing in limerick isn’t everyone’s forte, but it certainly is Corey Rosen Schwartz’s. When we first got The Three Ninja Pigs, I wasn’t sure if:

1. There might be too many ninjas in the book.
   2. The rhymes would be fun to read aloud (I’m looking at you, awkwardly written Berenstain Bears books).
   3. The book would appeal to my ladies.

After reading The Three Ninja Pigs, I learned:
1. There’s no such thing as too many ninjas.
2. There’s no one who rhymes quite like Corey Rosen Schwartz.
3. The ladies LOVE this book.

We LOVED The Three Ninja Pigs so much, we did a diorama of it for Vivi’s class. I had to read the story aloud to her class and I was a bit concerned about one line:
“Stay out of my hut,
Or I’ll kick your big butt…”
(snicker, snicker)

Anyway, the kids LOVED the story and didn’t even giggle (too much).

The art in this book is absolutely gorgeous. The use of straw, bamboo and cherry blossoms in the backgrounds is so peaceful and contrasts beautifully with the action occurring throughout the book. Being a kids’ book, the ‘violence’ is aimed at inanimate objects and just meant to ‘warn the wolf off’ as opposed to attacking him directly. The story has a happy ending and even a little glossary in the back that explains some of the terms used in the book (Lily loves the word ‘gi’).

My kids are always down for a Dan Santat book and all the more when he’s teamed up with Corey Rosen Schwartz.

Mama Rating: 5 “Kiya’s”/5
Vivi’s Rating: A+
Lily’s Rating: 5 Pig Gi’s/5

Title: Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great
Author/Illustrator: Bob Shea
Published: 2013 Hyperion

Have you ever been the big fish in a small pond, only to have a larger, shinier, cooler fish swim along and wreck everything?

Our book has nothing to do with fish.

It does, however, feature a unicorn that shows up to completely usurp a goat’s place as the cool dude in school.

Goat has all sorts of commendable traits: he bikes to school (Unicorn flies), he makes pretty OK marshmallow squares (Unicorn makes it rain cupcakes), and he does really decent magic. (Unicorn turns stuff into gold. No biggie.)

Goad decides that, based on all the aforementioned evidence, Unicorn is a grade-A dope. That is, until Unicorn shows up and points out some of Goat’s finer points (goat cheese, horns suited to soccer and awesome cloven hooves).

Goat realizes that they could combine their amazing traits to become a super crime-fighting team. Unicorn suggests that maybe they could just be friends and play at the park.

I love this book! I ordered it on a whim after reading about it on another review site. It did not disappoint! The art is nothing short of whimsical. It’s so colourful and the expressions on the characters’ faces are delightful. There are random super-cute characters in the backgrounds throughout the book (a puppy, a kitty, various cupcakes and toast) and they just add to the quirkiness of the book. The ’80’s kid in me totally digs the bright, nearly-neon palette Bob Shea used.

The story itself is a great lesson about friendship. Don’t assume that someone is a certain way. Get to know them! Maybe you’ll find that your skills are complementary!

The girls listened to their fabulous mama and daddy give a reading of this picture book during dessert. (I was the unicorn, in case you were wondering). Vivi really loved Unicorn. Lily liked the part where they became friends. Karl loved being Goat. I think. He didn’t really say that and I didn’t really ask, but his goat performance was top-notch.

Overall Score:
Jess: 5 adorable cupcakes out of 5
Vivi: A
Lily: All the cute toast characters ever