Favorite Picture Book

We've reviewed quite a number of picture books on this blog, but we've never gotten around to telling you about our favorites.

Fancy Nancy is a character that I have just recently come in contact with.  When I work in the Children's department at my job, she's on display a lot and she distracts me with her covers that are covered in glitter.

Nancy is a great character because she learns without being dictated to or preached at by adults.  She comes to conclusions on her own.  And she is WILDLY independant.  Sure she dresses up all girly and flashes, but you know why?  Because she WANTS to, because it's what she likes, not because anyone has told her that that's what girls do.

In Fancy Nancy and the Wedding of the Century, Nancy goes to her uncle's wedding.  She dreams about this big fancy, traditional wedding.  When she wakes up, she realizes it's a quiet, intimate, non-traditional wedding.  Nancy comes to learn (all on her own) that that's ok too!  The wedding is just as much fun as she thought it would be.

I mentioned this book last summer when I gave you guys a list of my favorite children's books. So I won't go into too much detail. But Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert is so pretty. It has a distinct collage style of illustration. There are beautiful colors, because we're discussing a tree as it deals with seasonal changes. And the story - though it isn't really a narrative - is very simple, which I like when paired with such an aesthetically pleasing book. It's for the younger division of picture book readers, but I enjoyed it for years past the "appropriate" age group.

Reading to Kids

Here at Review Me Twice, we are obviously all about the reading.  The more the better.  However, today I'm going to focus specifically on kids and why it's so important to read to them.

Kids aren't born with an intuitive knowledge of language

Kids don't know how to talk when they're born.  They learn from observing everyone around them.  Likewise, they don't know how to read either.  By reading with your kids every night, from the time they're born, teaches them things like how to read from left to right and top to bottom.  It teaches them the differences between pictures and words.  Eventually, it teaches them how to read and recognize the words.

It makes kids smarter.

If you read books with your kid, it's only natural that they're going to learn things sooner and faster than normal.  They'll learn to do things like read, to recognize objects, speech patters, colors, shapes and, really, whatever else you read to them about.

Improves their concentration.

Kids fidget.  They like to move and run and be active, which is great, and they should be, but sometimes, they need to be still.  Story time teaches them to concentrate on what's in front of them.  They learn to be still and quiet and pay attention when it's important.  It also helps them recognize when it's ok to be fun and fidgety and when you need to be quiet and pay attention.

Creates a stronger bond between you and your kids.

Having a time every day designated to read to your kids improves your relationship with them.  It gives them a time that just parent/child, without distractions or interruptions.  It allows them to talk to you, for you to listen, and for you to develop a bond with them that will help when they're 13 and want nothing to do with you.

And don't forget to enter Alex's Box of Books Giveaway!!!

Illustrator Bio: Jon Klassen

We're reading The Dark by Lemoney Snickett this week, but since we've already done an author bio on him, I figured this week, we would take a look at the illustrator of the book, Jon Klassen.

Klassen has actually done a number of books that you would recognize, probably the most notable being This is Not My Hat (which, if you haven't read, you should because it's a cute, short, adorable, funny book.)  I Want My Hat Back is also another book that made a big splash, though it's often criticized that it's inappropriate for children.  (The bear eats the rabbit off screen at the end.)

Klassen grew up in Canada, going to school at Sheridan College.  In 2006, he moved to LA, where he currently still resides.  He did animation work on both Kung Fu Panda and Coraline.  You can follow his blog or his tumblr.

Another Wedding, Another Giveaway!

Yes, friends and readers: It's time to give away a box of my books for Cassy's wedding, just like how Cassy gave away a box of her books for my wedding! (Remember?)

Just like with Cassy' big box o' books, I've pulled a little over a dozen books off my shelf. Some of them have been on this blog, some have not. (And to be entirely honest, a couple of them actually belonged to my husband. But hey... diversity in reading materials.)

Rules time:

- You can enter once per method per day. The methods are: follow @ReviewMeTwice, like us on Facebook, or comment on this post!

- You have to live in the contiguous United States. No offense to non-contiguous-US residents, but shipping a box full of books is already kind of expensive.

- The winner will be announced Monday, June 10 (I wanted to say it'll be on Sunday, June 9, but I have a wedding to be at that day...)

- The winner must provide us with a valid mailing address (again: within the contiguous United States) by emailing it to reviewmetwice@gmail.com within one week of being announced. If they don't, I'll get the next winner. If that winner doesn't provide an address within a week of that announcement, I'll donate the books to the library (which is super easy, since I work there).

- You aren't choosing books here; I have a box with books in it already, and you get them all. If you don't like them, you can do whatever you want with them: craft with them, prop up furniture with them, sell them, donate them, read them anyway, whatever.

- I'll be shipping them via USPS, with no signature required. The winner will get a delivery confirmation number sent to the same email address used to send us the mailing address.

The giveaway is already open, and closes at 11:59pm next Sunday, June 9. So start entering!!!

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Review Me Twice - Boomsday by Christopher Buckley

This book was very obviously something that Buckley thinks is a big problem.  And, I mean, it is, because let's face it, Social Security is a joke and won't last very long once all our parents decide to retire.  And, to his credit, the book does take a humorous approach to it.  Just off yourself by age 70 and look at all the tax breaks your kids will get!  The Government will even cough up money for a final vacation.

But... it was a very political book.  That doesn't mean I didn't like it.  I thought it was well written, with interesting characters and people that you just love to hate.  I like how ridiculous and over the top the whole situation was, and Randy, senator from Massachusetts was pretty funny too, especially when he was interacting with Cass.  But if politics isn't your thing (which, for me it's not), then this probably isn't going to be the book for you.

It was a well written book and kept me fairly engaged, but it's not something I'd probably read again.

Didn't finish this one. Mostly because I kept accidentally leaving it in my office at work instead of bringing it home to read. But I didn't much enjoy it, so that's probably why... my brain knew I'd rather clean the kitchen or play Hearthstone, so it made me forget the book.

Cassy hit the nail on the head with this one... it's quite a political book, which I don't mind in the least, but I don't know... Social Security is just not the hot-button issue for me that it must be for Christopher Buckley. He's really into talking about it and I just... don't care. I know I probably should, but I don't. I have other political interests.

So I guess if that's the sort of thing you want to think about and read about and get really impassioned about, this might be the book for you. It wasn't bad, outside of the topic.

Literary Holidays

In this week's review book, Boomsday, the titular holiday is the day the Baby Boomers start retiring. But every time I see the title, I keep misreading it as Bloomsday, because that's a thing, too. It's a holiday based on a book, and there are actually several of those, because readers like to celebrate books. Here are a few of my favorite holidays that wouldn't exist if it weren't for certain books.

Bloomsday

This one is actually coming up very soon: June 16th of every year. It celebrates the life and work of James Joyce during the day Ulysses takes place. There are lots of annual events around the world that celebrate Bloomsday.

Towel Day

Hopefully you didn't miss this one... May 25 is Towel Day, celebrating the life and work of Douglas Adams. To explain, I give you the relevant passage from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has a few things to say on the subject of towels. A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value: you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble‐sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand‐to‐hand‐combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindbogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough. More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: nonhitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might have accidentally "lost." What the strag will think is that any man that can hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through and still know where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with."

Hobbit Day

Held on September 22 annually (whichever calendar week contains this day is officially Tolkien Week and has been since 1978) this day celebrates Tolkien's most beloved characters: the hobbits. This day was chosen because it's Bilbo's and Frodo's birthday!

Burns Supper

A Burns Supper is a very popular event in the UK (particularly in Scotland) held on January 25 and featuring a certain menu of Scottish favorites, including haggis. The whole affair celebrates Scottish poet Robert Burns, and his poems are read throughout the event. Sometimes you wrap up the evening with dancing.

There are tons of other literary holidays, and holidays about books and other forms of writing. What's your favorite, and how do you celebrate it?

Favorite Blog

Since one important character in this week's review book is a blogger (and we are bloggers), we thought we might talk about some of our favorite bloggers! (Other than ourselves... we aren't that self-centered.)

Blatantly stolen from
alreadypretty.com

My favorite blogger is Sally McGraw, who runs the show at Already Pretty. It's a fashion blog that is really big on body positive discussion, making clothes fit the body (not the other way around), and fun trends in clothing and accessories. This is the woman who taught me to love skirts. (I mean, look at her in that one... so cute.) But on top of all that positive energy and pretty clothing, I also like the way she writes. She writes the way she probably talks, and it's all very natural and dialogue-y but also well organized and has a point.

I love PostSecret.  I've always loved PostSecret.  I love that Frank Warren went from this little tiny art project that started with 250 post cards to an explosion that is his blog and all the secrets that people tell him.

I think he also does great things with his fame.  He raises a lot of money for suicide hotlines, to help people who really need it.  And I've met him!  He's a really nice guy, really down to earth, and... really tall.

For the record, I'm 5'11"