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Monday, December 21, 2015

Silly Wonderful You, story by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell. Balzer + Bray, Harper. 2016. $ 21.99 ages 3 and up

"And now ...
     since there was you ...
my days start oh-so-early,
with bright-eyed alarm clocks ...
Each time I step, sharp
little blocks go right through
my socks!
I find so many things
in unusual places."

If you live with a toddler, you will know just exactly what the mom in this new book by Sherri Duskey Rinker is feeling. Don't things change dramatically every single day?

I spent a month recently with my granddaughter and learned the real meaning of 'tired' as an aging woman with not nearly as much energy as I once had. However, the joys of being with her far outweighed the total exhaustion I felt by the end of a day spent playing, cajoling, checking up on, singing, chasing and reading with her.

This mother's rhyming text fully explores the many changes that take place with a growing child in the home, who wants to explore her environment, assert her independence and put all of her passion into bringing joy and laughter to those who love her:

"That you
could be
so
jumpy.

Or sometimes
GRUMPY
(and maybe just a tiny bit whiny)."

I am going to love to read this with my daughter and granddaughter when they arrive next month! It is sure to speak to Mom for the life they now live, and at some point in time, to Sicily who will want to share all the memories that its words evoke.

The sound effects, the funny little surprises that arise on a daily basis are so ably captured in the pen, brush and ink artwork Patrick McDonnell has created to accompany the rhyming text. The child's absolute joy in living and her many emotions are evident on every page, whether she is splashing in the tub, purposely touching what is not to be touched, racing her mother to the top of the stairs in an effort to avoid capture.

Cozy, frenetic and all too true, I think you will relate if you spend any time with a toddler.

https://youtu.be/FBruJbm-4QM

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