Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Favorites: Redo!

Today we're getting a second chance at picking a favorite from the past year.


I call a mulligan on my favorite short story. Actually, I just wanted to talk about a close runner-up, because I think the one I got a tattoo of should trump this one, but still.

There's a chapter in Sideways Stories from Wayside School for Maurecia (each chapter is more like a short story about one of the students from the class). It's about ice cream, because Maurecia really likes ice cream. So much so, in fact, that she has tried every flavor of ice cream in existence, and is now bored with ice cream. Mrs. Jewls makes ice cream for each student in the class and names each flavor after them. Everyone's reactions to other people's flavors is the same as their attitude toward that person (for example, Maurecia really likes Todd so she really likes Todd-flavored ice cream) but it turns out that nobody likes their own flavor, because their own flavor is what they taste when they aren't tasting anything.

I've said before that a lot of the stories from that book have stuck with me through the years, but this one pops up unexpectedly. Usually it's when I'm thinking about nothing at all, and suddenly I'm aware that I'm thinking nothing at all (so therefore now I'm really thinking about that fact instead of actually thinking about nothing) and then it triggers my brain to think about what I taste when I'm tasting nothing, like I'm eating Alex ice cream, which would taste like nothing to me. Then I get really aware of my tongue and get fed up with the whole thing and go do something productive just to stop the insanity.

I'm calling a mulligan on my Favorite Picture Book.  Not that I don't still love me some Fancy Nancy (because I do.  She's fabulous.)  But over the holiday season, I got introduced to pretty much the best picture book ever.


Now, I know what you're going to say.  "But Cassy, it doesn't HAVE pictures, ergo, not a picture book!"  But, it is, because it's the right length and the book is set up like a picture book and the words in it have a picture like quality.

So why do I love this book so much?  Because it's hilarious.  And it's funny.  And it makes the reader say silly things, which always makes kids laugh.  I mean, just look at this!!!


What kid wouldn't love something like that?  Especially, when it's an adult saying it (and, in fact, the beginning of the book warns you that the book makes adults say silly things.)  Basically, even though the book has no pictures, I think it's fun and silly and ridiculous and was so awesome, it kicked miss Fancy Nancy out of the number one slot of my favorite picture book.

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