Pursuit

Kiddo is in a love-hate relationship with the neighborhood rabbit. She loves it. It hates her. If we see it on our way to the playground in the morning, she runs after it with a chorus of "I catch 'im! I run! I go! I get you! I find it! I coming!" and occasionally my favorite: "BUNNY! BUNNY! I WUV OO!"

Fantasy draft

I'm thinking I might start a new fantasy sport based on the kiddo's day-to-day book preferences. I'll make a list of her most-read books and then assign points every day according to what we actually read.

1 point per reading
1 point bonus per consecutive re-reading
Additional 1 point bonus per consecutive re-reading past the fifth time
2 point bonus when a book is read at more than one sitting in a single day
-1 point for a book rejection ("How about x?" "No.")
-2 points for rejection by throwing

Geraldine's Blanket scored 15 today.

Review: The Three Snow Bears

The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A beautifully illustrated Eskimo-themed retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I've been asked to read this one over and over and over and over and over this week. The text has some tweaks to make it incorporate sled dogs, igloos, and polar bears, but the kiddo definitely recognizes the story. The pictures are detailed and gorgeous. I especially like the inclusion of a medallion on each page showing what the other characters are doing; for example, while Aloo-ki (the Goldilocks character) is trying on the bears' boots, there's a little inset picture of the bears going for a swim.

We borrowed this from the library as a board book, but it's too small to get the full effect of the pictures.



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Review: What Is That?

What Is That? by Tana Hoban

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Another good title from Tana Hoban. This hits a lot of different baby stages--it's designed for tiny infants, but my 20-month-old likes to flip through and name all of the objects.



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Review: Llama Llama Wakey-Wake

Llama Llama Wakey-Wake by Anna Dewdney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is your standard morning routine board book. I think the llama is adorable, but it's nothing out of the ordinary.



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Review: The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!

The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! by Mo Willems

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



It seems like a crazy thing to say about a board book, but the humor is too sophisticated for the target audience.



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Review: Are You a Cow?

Are You a Cow? by Sandra Boynton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



My almost-two-year-old loves this one because she can answer all the questions anticipate the ending. A charming and entertaining board book from Sandra Boynton (as usual).



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Review: Polite Elephant

Polite Elephant by Richard Scarry

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Cute, nice illustrations, but too heavy-handed. I just don't think any child would WANT to read this kind of instruction-book-disguised-as-picture-book. I also expected something better from Richard Scarry; I feel like he could have incorporated a portrayal of good manners into a real story.



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Wonderment

Scene: lunchtime

Kiddo makes noises and gestures expressive of a desire for more cheese.

"Look," I say, "you already have some in your hand."

She checks left hand. Nothing there. She fixes me with a suspicious look. Recalls existence of right hand. Checks right hand.

"Whoooooa."

No, thank YOU!

The kiddo has just moved on from "Kank oo" to "Thank your welcome!"

Eggcorn

We are reading Goodnight, Gorilla.

Me: That's a hyena.
Her: Hi, Eena!

Review: The Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the Pussycat by Bill Manhoff

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



This is supposed to be a comedy?! Huh.

Mom picked this (and a number of other dramatic works) for me at a library sale. It's cliched and vulgar. Neither character is likeable. The resolution comes totally out of the blue and is completely unbelievable.

The title is pretty witty, though.



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