Book 39 -- Addendum: The Cat Came Back

(From June 12, 2011)


The Cat Came Back, by Fred Penner, illustrated by Renee Reichert. Roaring Books Press, 2005

I shattered my leg about three weeks ago, and I live in a two-story house. So, for the past three weeks, I've been living in the first floor of the house. Most of my son's books are upstairs in his room. We brought a few books downstairs so that I could do the bedtime stories with my husband for my son. The Cat Came Back was one of the books my SON brought downstairs.

When I reviewed this book in May of last year, I gave you my opinion. I re-read the review today, and, while I agree with what I wrote, I didn't nearly do this book justice.

Right now, this book is my son's absolute favorite book, even when his daddy sings the song. From repeated readings/singings, he's learned the words at the end of every line. It is hilarious to hear him say "give the cat the boot" and "run amuck", and the "ho, ho, ho" spurts out at the most inopportune (but funny) times, like when the lady tried to cut in front of my husband and son in the grocery store line. But funniest of all must be when he says the lines in the final verse, "crash", "meow" and "roar". This child is a born actor.

So my two-and-a-half year old highly recommends this book for all toddlers.


*For other reviews on books to buy, see my other blog: Book I Buy and Why

Fairy Tale Haiku 1

A few months ago I read an article about how people were summarizing the librettos of opera on Twitter. I was intrigued. My favorite ones didn't even use half the Twitter characters. So, in the spirit of brevity, I thought, why not fairy tales in haiku? My first entry is, of course, Cupid and Psyche, because it is the mother of all fairy tales. :)


Cupid and Psyche:

Cupid loves Psyche--
Psyche fears, frets, loses, works.
Psyche wins Cupid

The Cast Came Off...

This little re-worked poem is based on my son's favorite current book and his purple cast coming off...

The cast came off
On the 15th
The cast came off
I think it was a Wednesday
The cast came off --
No more breaks, I pray!

Book 77

Baby Einstein: What Floats?, by Julie Aigner-Clark, illustrated by Nadeem Zaidi, Hyperion Books 2003.

(From May 15, 2011)

As I was reading this very soggy and soap-slimed book to my son in the bathtub tonight (he was in the tub, not me), I realized I had yet to review this book.

I have to say, I did not buy this book; it was given to my son when he was three days old by my former co-worker and dear friend, Louise N. But even though I did not buy the book, it has been read to my son more often, with the exception of Goodnight Moon and Top Cat, than any other book. We started reading it to him when he first started using the big bathtub to take a bath. Not long after that he came down with chickenpox and we would read this book to him four or five times while we were waiting for the Aveeno Oatmeal bath to take effect.

What Floats? is one of those (so far) indestructible, plastic, waterproof books. It is light, squishy and, not surprisingly, floats. It is also a simple rhyming book with very colorful illustrations. And, of course, it is designed to be taken into the tub with the child. My little boy has been through many, many bath toys, but this book has always been right there with them, and he still gets excited when I read it to him.


*For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why

Eloquent Tail -- the end

OK, this probably will not be the last poem in the series when I put them all together, but it is the last reverso on this subject.


Striped tail wild cat
cleaning
self
on my
beautiful coat.
Just
look!

Look!
Just
beautiful coat
on my
self-
cleaning
striped tail wild cat.

Sunday poem -- revised nursery rhyme

Two days after I came home from the hospital in a wheelchair, my son made like a monkey and climbed out of his bed. Unfortunately, he had a very hard landing.


Thomas has a purple cast,
A purple cast,
A purple cast.
Thomas has a purple cast
And a broken wrist

He climbed out of his crib one day
Crib one day
Crib one day.
He climbed out of his crib one day
And landed on the floor

So now he has a big boy bed
Big boy bed
Big boy bed
So now he has a big boy bed
Of which he can slip out

Even with his purple cast
His purple cast
His purple
Even with his purple cast
He still climbs out of bed.