3 Great Books for a Jealous Sibling

Ever since Infant Monkey was born, Preschooler Monkey has been jealous. The jealousy has been getting better with time, and I’ve noticed something that helps is reading books about siblings or even just babies in general (especially crying babies!).

We’ve read a bunch of them, and maybe I’ll do a “best of” post someday, but here are a few that we’ve read recently that my daughter has enjoyed.A book about a girl learning how to help out with her brother:

Lola Reads to Leo by Anna McQuinn; Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw A book about a boy who is jealous of his brother, but comes around:

When I Was King by Linda Ashman; Illustrated by David McPhailA book about a crying baby who won’t be soothed (HILARIOUS!):

The Baby that Roared by Simon Puttock; Illustrated by Nadia Shireen

#bookreview #picturebookreview #NadiaShireen #SimonPuttock #picturebooks #WhenIWasKing #DavidMcPhail #toddlerfavorites #AnnaMcQuinn #preschoolermonkey #LindaAsman #infan #TheBabythatRoared #RosalindBeardshaw #LolaReadstoLeo

Blog Break!

What a busy year! I had another baby last year, and between child care and writing, I haven’t had a lot of time left for the blog. (So sorry, Monkey Poop, I missed our 5 year blogiversary!)

It will probably be a little while until I post something again, but until then, you can probably find me on twitter.

#blogbreak #blogging #monkeypoop

YA Memoir Review: Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler

Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler is a YA memoir about the author’s struggles as a teenager to find his place in his conservative religious family.

This is an absolutely stunning book. Every page is so vivid and realistic, it’s almost like the author actually had his teenaged self write this book. Even though I am not white, male, Christian, or gay, (and let’s face it, I’m definitely not a teenager anymore) I found this book so heartfelt, engaging, and most of all relatable. I have no idea how the author found the strength to pour himself onto the page like this, but I’m so glad he did.

Wow.

What writers can take away from this book:

–writing emotional, intensely personal scenes –writing a book that’s a little light on plot and still having it be incredibly compelling (I could not put down this book, yet I couldn’t tell you what the plot was exactly.) –writing awkward teenage romance without it being awkward for the reader

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the e-book directly from the author’s agency.

The book will be out in a few weeks so pre-order from Amazon or your local indie bookstore!

#youngadult #bookreview #writingtips #memoir #YA #rapturepractice #aaronhartzler