Piggie Pie

Gritch the Witch wakes up with one thing on her mind - Piggie Pie!  Unfortunately she lacks one very important ingredient - piggies.  A trip to Old MacDonald's farm should easily take care of that problem, but Gritch doesn't know just who she's dealing with.  


Alerted to her presence by a sky-written "Surrender Piggies", the pigs hurriedly disguise themselves as chickens, cows and old MacDonald himself.  


Confused by the lack of piggies on a farm that was advertised (in the yellow pages) to have piggies, Gritch's patience wears thin.  A wolf happens by and takes a moment to commiserate with her - he himself has been chasing 3 pigges for days without any luck.  


I love the way the author has tied in elements from different children's stories to create this tale.  If you've read my blog at all, you may have noticed that my favorite books are the ones with great humor and fantastic illustrations - this book has both.  It's definitely a favorite in our household!

I Need My Monster

I was immediately drawn to this book by the cover illustrations.  It happens a lot, because if I like the illustrations then there's a good chance I'll like the story.  And that's exactly what happened with this book. 


Ethan is a little boy with a monster  under his bed and he's happy with this arrangement.  Until one night, when Gabe leaves a note explaining that he'll be gone fishing for a week.  Poor Ethan doesn't know how he'll survive - he can't sleep without knowing his monster is under the bed.


Throughout the night Ethan is visited by substitute monsters, but none of them can replace Gabe's ragged breathing, nose-whistling and the scrabbling of his uncut claws.  Ethan sends each monster away, resigned to the fact that he simply won't be getting any sleep that week.  


I love this book!  The hilarious dialogue between Ethan and the monsters combined with beautiful, colorful illustrations make it a lot of fun to read.  

The Legend of Spud Murphy

At the start of summer vacation, Will and his brother Marty cause enough trouble to receive the worst punishment of all: they must spend a few afternoons a week at the library. Not only do the boys detest reading, they have a great fear of the infamous librarian Mrs. "Spud" Murphy and her gas-powered, potato shooting gun. Why would a librarian have such a weapon you ask? To shoot potatoes at children who make noise, of course.

Will and Marty's first afternoon in the library only confirms their fears about this terrifying woman. How are they going to survive all summer with Spud Murphy looking over their shoulders? Banished to the children's section, the boys have nothing to do but read. Will, who plays by the rules, accepts his fate. Marty, who breaks all the rules, won't rest until he's found a way out of the children's section. Who will win this battle of wills, Marty or Spud?


I thought this was a hilarious story - very entertaining. I highly recommend it!

The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World

I am a huge fan of Eoin Colfer, so I'm surprised that I haven't included any of his books in my posts. I'll get around to it though - I just need to brush up on my favorite series, Artemis Fowl. I want to remember all the details before I review it. :)

I was pretty excited to find this book written by Mr. Colfer - it's illustrated and it's only 7 short chapters long. Since Andrew and I have been reading some pretty long books, I thought we could shake it up a bit.

Will Woodman is a kid who comes from a great home with good parents. The only problem is, he has to share those parents with 4 brothers. How in the world is a boy supposed to get some quality time in with all those siblings clamoring for attention too? Will needed someone to listen to his troubles and since his parents weren't available, he turned to his Grandpa. It was perfect. I mean, what else did Grandpa have to do with his time? He might as well lend a listening ear to his grandson.

Each Saturday, Will and Grandpa swap sob stories but oddly enough, Grandpa's stories always top Will's. How can you compete with a man who's been bitten on the head by a shark, had his backpack stolen by a badger and survived a week of using tin foil for toilet paper?

Fortunately, Will is able to have some uninterrupted time with his father where he explains his frustration regarding story-topping Grandpa. As it turns out, Will may have a story that not even Grandpa can beat.

I loved this book - with Eoin Colfer's fantastic sense of humor and a great moral to the story, you can't go wrong. A must-read!

Mars Needs Moms

I meant to post this book on Mother's Day, but I forgot. I blame it on Mommy Brain. You know, that thing that happens to your otherwise normally functioning brain after having children. Forgetful doesn't even begin to describe it. However, since it's for the good of the children, I'm happy to sacrifice a few things. Like my vocabulary and my ability to finish a thought before moving on to an entirely new one. They say that once the kids move out you may experience a partial recovery. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

A friend of mine had been telling me to read this book for awhile and I wanted to - I really did. We're big fans of Berkeley Breathed in this household. But wouldn't you know, our library didn't have a copy. I also stay away from the bookstores as much as possible - they're far too dangerous for someone like me. It seemed like I would never have a chance to read this wonderful book. And then something happened. The Book Fair at Andrew's school. A book fair, my friends, is even more dangerous than a book store - trust me! I think it has something to do with the fact that a portion of the proceeds goes to help the school. Yeah...I'm a sucker for that. This time was different - I was determined to purchase the two newest Magic Treehouse books and ONLY those books. $50 later, I left with a bag full of books and Mars Needs Moms was one of those.

If you've ever had a mom who annoyed you and made you do ridiculous amounts of chores, or you are a mom who has forced your children to eat their vegetables (for their own good) - then you'll identify with this story.

Milo is a child who doesn't understand what's so special about mothers. Milo's mother is, well, she's the mom who was abducted by Martians. Luckily, Milo was able to sneak onto the rocket ship before it launched into outer space and discover the reason for his mother's kidnapping. You can't really blame the Martians - who else is going to drive them to soccer games, make their lunches or bandage their boo-boos? When Milo's space helmet breaks and he finds himself unable to breathe the thick air on Mars, his mom is right there to sacrifice her own helmet for him. Finally, Milo understands what's so special about mothers.

Amazing illustrations, great humor and a touching story - all the elements you need for a great book. You'll love it - and it's definitely worth buying!

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

I randomly found this series while at the library one day. I can't remember what I was looking for, but I saw these books and was intrigued. The illustrations were so fun and I was pretty excited to see that Kate DiCamillo was the author - LOVE her writing!

Mercy is a pig, adopted and adored by the Watsons. One night, after singing her to sleep, Mr. and Mrs. Watson crawl into their own bed and settle down for a good night's rest. Unfortunately, Mercy is afraid of the dark and decides to crawl into bed with the Watsons. They don't mind at all, until the floor cracks and the bed begins to fall through it!

Mercy leaves the bedroom, and the Watsons assume that she's on her way to find help. In reality, Mercy has begun a search for hot, buttered toast - her absolute favorite food. She ambles on over to the Lincoln sister's house and after a string of hilarious events, she finally returns home with a pair of firemen who are able to rescue the Watsons just in the nick of time. Overjoyed and amazed with their "Porcine Wonder", the Watson's celebrate by preparing a midnight snack of hot buttered toast for everyone!

Hardy Boys #1 The Tower Treasure

When I was a kid, my very cool dad used to read the Hardy Boys to me and my brothers. So of course, once I had boys of my own I was determined to read the series to them. Andrew and I just finished the first book. Thankfully, I couldn't remember the details, so the ending wasn't ruined! Andrew and I absolutely love mysteries, so this series will keep us busy for awhile.

Frank and Joe Hardy are the sons of famed detective Fenton Hardy. While on an errand for their father, they're nearly run down by a mysterious man. Later that day they find that their friend Chet's yellow jalopy has been stolen - Frank and Joe believe it was the same man who tried to run them over.

A few days later, word spreads through the town of Bayport that the owners of the famous Tower Mansion have been robbed of their jewels. A school chum's father is implicated in the crime, but are the mysterious man and the robbery connected? With some help from their father, Frank and Joe set out to help their friends and find the thief.

The Great Fuzz Frenzy

When Violet, an innocent dog, drops her tennis ball down a praire dog hole, she unknowingly starts a hilarious chain of events.

The startled prairie dogs look at the tennis ball with great trepidation - everyone that is, except Pip Squeak who is delighted with the ball's fuzziness. Without hesitation, he plucks some fuzz from the ball and adorns his head with the stuff. And so begins "The Great Fuzz Frenzy", each praire dog clamoring to grab some fuzz of their own, and all of them finding creative ways to wear it.

The only one unhappy with this chain of events is the bully Big Bark, who eventually steals all of the fuzz and proclaims himself to be "King of the Fuzz!" Unfortunately for Big Bark, his newly acquired fuzz attracts the attention of an eagle who swoops down and carries him away.

With laugh inducing text and illustrations, this one has become a favorite of ours!

Cook-a-Doodle-doo!

I bought this book several years ago - before I ever had kids - and I've always loved it. It's a creative twist on the classic story "The Little Red Hen" and Rooster, the main character, is L.R. Hen's great-grandson.

Rooster, needing something good to eat, finds his great-grandmother's cookbook, "The Joy of Cooking Alone" and discovers a scrumptious looking Strawberry Shortcake recipe. Rooster is joined in the kitchen by Turtle, Iguana and Pot-bellied Pig - each of them contributing to the adventure in a hilarious way.

I loved the illustrations and the humor in this story; the kids laugh every time! Oh, and the recipe for this yummy strawberry shortcake is included at the end of the story. I'll have to try that sometime soon.

Creak! said the Bed

On a dark and stormy night, Momma and Poppa find that their bed becomes increasingly crowded. Each nighttime noise brings another child into the room until finally, the dog joins them and the bed just can't take anymore.

My kids loved imitating all the fun noises in the story - boys are great at sound effects. I'd definitely recommend this book!

How Many Cats?

At the beginning of the year my goal was to post at least one book a day, and I did pretty well...for awhile. Somehow I missed a day and then it turned into two, then three - you get the idea. So, here I am picking myself up and trying it again. I'm going to finish one resolution this year, darn it!

I'll be honest - it's been a few weeks since I read this book so I don't remember the plot all that well. I do seem to remember that cats kept coming into the house and creating one disaster after another and I'm pretty sure that they left the house just in time for the dog to be blamed for all the destruction. That's just like a cat.

My kids love cats - their Aunt has two - so I thought they'd like this book. They loved it! And the illustrations caused more than one belly laugh.

Waking Up Wendell

My kids love this cute story about one little bird whose early morning tweeting creates a domino effect that eventually wakes the entire neighborhood.  I love the bright illustrations and subtle humor through the book and my kids like the funny sounds on each page.   Definitely a keeper!

Creaky Old House

This a great story about loving what you have. I know I'm always looking for bigger and better, so a reminder that what we have is more than enough is certainly needed from time to time.

The book begins with the family telling how much they love their creaky old house and then the doorknob on the front door suddenly breaks. They try to repair it with a new screw, but when that doesn't work, the family heads off to find a new doorknob at the hardware store. Before long, every fix turns into something bigger until they've drawn up plans to completely remodel the house!

Great story, fun rhyming text and colorful pictures - I love this book!

Good Boy Fergus!

Have you ever noticed people who think their dogs are cute no matter what they do? Well, Fergus' owner happens to be one of those people.

I think this story definitely qualifies as "Laugh Out Loud" funny. I love the part where Fergus gets whipped cream on his dog food and my kids love the part where Fergus leaves his mark all over the neighborhood. I tried to fight it, but when my husband is the one pointing out all the places Fergus has relieved himself, I know that it's a losing battle. Boys will be boys - even grown up ones, so I may as well just go along with it.

David Gets in Trouble

We're back with David for another adventure, but this time he has a new trick up his sleeve - Deny Everything! "I didn't mean to!", "I forgot!", and "But Dad says it!" are just a few of the ways that David tries to avoid trouble.

My boys like this one just as much as the other David books, although I think they were a little shocked when I explained the concept of having one's mouth washed out with soap. Let's hope it never comes to that.

David Goes to School

In the second book of the series, David goes to school and discovers that it isn't just moms who say no - it's teachers too. And if you think time out is bad, just wait until you have to stay after school to clean all the desks.

I think I should say that I was never one of those kids who broke the rules in school. Except for that time in first grade when I was showing off for a boy (I promise - I just wanted him to think I was cool), and cut a smallish chunk of my hair. The little twerp told on me and her reaction was much the same as David's teacher. Ugh - boys!

No, David!

I'll be the first to admit that the illustrations in this series of books are definitely not my style - and a little bit creepy - however, I was able to look past all that long enough to read the books to my kids.

Children hear the word "NO" quite a bit in one day - I should know, because I say it to my own kids. Sometimes, when I have the energy, I try to switch things up a bit. You know, make things sound more positive. But let's be honest - when the kids are going crazy, you're trying to get dinner on the table, the phone rings and for the fifth time that day you catch your son going for the cookie jar, positive language is the last thing the children will hear coming out of your mouth. Really, I'd be shocked to find a child who couldn't identify with David.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to me that my boys LOVE this book. Especially the part where David runs (NAKED!) down the street. It's a great opportunity to discuss with the kids why certain behaviors are inappropriate.

As for the strange illustrations...it works. This series is all about the kid's point of view so David's weird, triangular nose, beady black eyes and pointy teeth are perfect just as they are.

The Giving Tree

"Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy. The tree gives this little boy everything she can, because she wants him to be happy. The boy, on the other hand, keeps searching for more until he finds in his old age that happiness was right there in front of him.

What's not to love about this classic? Well, if you read the reviews on Amazon there are mixed feelings. Some praise the author for a beautiful story about unconditional love. Yet others find the little boy to be selfish and codependent. I'm not making this up - I did read a review that said "codependent".

I'll tell you what I think. Does it matter? In my opinion, both messages are good. Not that I encourage selfishness, of course. But isn't it a good opportunity to talk to our kids about both sides of the spectrum?

I think it's a poignant story about what really matters in life and it will always be one of my favorite children's books.

The Treasures of Weatherby

The Treasures of Weatherby is a quick read - I was able to finish it in an evening. I enjoyed the story and it definitely held my interest, but...it wasn't what I expected. The synopsis on the inside cover makes it sound like the story will be much more adventurous than it actually is. Despite the disappointing ending, I still think it's worth reading.

The main character is a 12 year old boy, Harleigh J. Weatherby IV, who lives in the rundown - but famous - Weatherby castle. Harleigh's father is rarely ever home, so he spends most of his time with is overbearing Great Aunt Adelaide and his tutor, Uncle Edgar.

One day, while Harleigh is searching the grounds for the famous Weatherby Maze, he meets a girl about his age who has somehow found a way onto the castle grounds. Her name is Allegra and Harleigh although finds her to be exasperating at times, they become friends over the course of the summer. The trick is, Harleigh has to keep her a secret from his Great Aunt Adelaide. Visitors aren't allowed on the castle grounds and they certainly aren't allowed inside.

While sneaking around the castle, Allegra stumbles onto a mystery - someone is trying to steal the hidden Weatherby treasure. Harleigh doesn't believe her at first, but once he does, it's up to him to keep the treasure safe.

There really wasn't much of a mystery - the kids seemed to figure everything out very quickly. In my opinion, the main point of the story was how Harleigh was able to grow - not just physically, but emotionally and I really liked that.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

As I looked over my blog recently, I was shocked to find that I hadn't yet posted about this book. I read it for book club last winter and it has made it onto my favorites list. It's one I will read over and over again - I'm so glad I purchased my own copy! Since I read it a year ago, there are details I've forgotten, but I'll do my best to give an accurate review.

The story begins in London, just after WWII ends. Juliet Ashton is an author writing under the name Izzy Bickerstaff, doing a series of humorous articles about the war. She writes to her editor (who is also a very close friend) to tell him that she's had enough of war stories and wants to write something new. Little does she know that an opportunity will present itself sooner rather than later.

A man by the name of Dawsey Adams, a farmer on the island of Guernsey, finds Juliet's name written in a used book by Charles Lamb and writes to her asking if she could possibly find more from the author. Before long they strike up a friendship and Juliet finds that Dawsey is part of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which was started during the German occupation of their island. Asking about the strange name, Juliet finds that it's actually a remarkable story of an eclectic group of people who created the society simply as a cover up for an illicit meal. In order to keep the Germans from becoming suspicious, they continue to meet regularly under the guise of a Literary Society.

Completely caught up in the story and the people of Guernsey, Juliet decides to write a book about them and travels to the island to gather research. It doesn't take long before she falls in love with the people and their culture. In fact, I was so enthralled with the characters that I found myself looking Guernsey up on line and wishing I could take a vacation there myself.

The entire story is told through letters and I found that to be very charming. A person can express things in a letter so much differently than they would through speaking. I think it brought a different dynamic to the story to tell it that way. I loved all of the characters for different reasons, but I think Juliet was my favorite - her sense of humor and quick wit is fantastic!