Mommy Read it Again: Ugly Fish by Kara LaReau

I’m back! As some of you may (or may not) know, I recently had a baby girl and am just  starting to get back into the swing of things. I thought I’d start things off with a few blog posts that I wrote before the baby came, but didn’t get around to posting.

First up, a post about a picture book my toddler and I read a few months ago:

Ugly Fish by Kara Lareau, Illustrated by Scott Magoon

This is another kooky picture book, this time about a mean and ugly fish. I saw this on the shelf and was immediately drawn to the funny illustration on the cover. My 2.5 year old thought this book is hilarious and so did I. The story is about a big, mean fish who eats up any other fish who have the misfortune of being placed into his tank. In the end, he gets his come-uppance (spoiler alert: he gets swallowed by an even bigger fish!). I wonder if some kids might find this ending troubling, but my 2.5 year old didn’t.

Funny side note: My daughter doesn’t seem to understand what “ugly” means. This has been an issue with other stories that have “ugly” trolls and the like, and for some reason she just hasn’t understood my explanations! I think at this point she thinks ugly is the same thing as mean.

Up next week: Pics from my family trip to Cornwall this past summer!

#picturebook #karalareau #toddlerfavorites #mommyreaditagain #scottmagoon #uglyfish

Mommy Read it Again: Egg Drop by Mini Grey

Egg Drop by Mini Grey

This is a kooky picture book about a little egg who wants to fly, but unfortunately, as you know, eggs can’t. The toddler has asked me to read this book every day at nap time since we checked it out from our local library. And it is definitely one of my favorites too. I mean, really, how can you not love a picture book that references the Bernoulli principle?

Note to all my blog followers–I’ll be away from the blog for a while after this! When I come back, look for my Code Name Verity review, and maybe I’ll get around to posting a few Cornwall pics. Maybe.

#picturebook #toddlerfavorites #mommyreaditagain #minigrey #eggdrop

YA Book Review: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield is an incredibly powerful story about self-harm, rape, abuse, and homophobia written in a completely authentic and compelling (and non-overwhelming!) way. Never did I question the author’s “teen voice” or authority to tell this story. When the main character’s parents behaved in unexpected or unbelievable ways, it all felt (unfortunately) totally realistic. For me, this was the first time I really understood why someone would want to intentionally hurt themselves when they weren’t suicidal.

The story wasn’t perfect (for example, I figured out who the rapist had been pretty early on and wasn’t sure the thriller/whodunit format was necessary), but because the book was otherwise so well done and surprisingly easy to relate to (and had to have been so tricky to write for so many reasons) I found myself overlooking any problems I saw.

A worthwhile read and not just for girls and women in similar situations .

What writers can take away from this book: –how to write an emotional “issues” book without being heavy handed. –how to take personal stories and turn them into believable fiction –how to write about serious psychological/psychiatric issues while still keeping your characters relatable (as an MD, I also appreciated that the therapist character was key to the main character’s recovery and not completely useless, which often happens in these kinds of stories)

#youngadult #bookreview #writingtips #issuesbook #scars #cherylrainfield