Cats, Cats, Cats

As a little girl I never went through a horse phase. My older one is currently in the midst of hers–although I think it’ll be more than a phase–she’s kind of obsessed.

She’s got another thing coming though if she thinks Daddy is ever going to buy her a pony! (Sorry, sweetheart.)

I’m surprised I didn’t wind up a cat-hoarding old lady because I definitely went through a cat phase when I was young. My ultimate cat was a white-haired, blue-eyed kitten. See below:

My dream cat

My dream cat

I coveted a cat with these features and got him in my beloved, Sebastian (named after the crab on The Little Mermaid, of course).

Me, my rad kitten, and my awful 80's hair

Me, my rad kitten, and my awful 80’s hair

He was the best cat in the world. He put up with all my shenanigans of dressing him in clothes and treating him like a baby. Unfortunately he didn’t live very long, breaking my 8 year-old heart when he died.

RIP Sebastian

RIP Sebastian

My girls love cats too–any animal, really. But I was reminded of my love for them when we came across, Emma Dodd’s book, I Don’t Want a Cool Cat!

By Emma Dodd

By Emma Dodd

It’s a fun story of a little girl searching for just the right cat. I didn’t even realize there were so many different kinds of cats until we read this book. She doesn’t want a cool cat, or a stuffy cat, or a prize cat. My favorite cat she doesn’t want is “a prowly cat: a howly,  yowly, scowly cat!”

She just wants “a purry cat: a small, soft, furry cat.” I know just what she means. While Sebastian had blue eyes like Sinatra, he wasn’t a “treat-me-like-a-fool” cat, like Sinatra would’ve been if he were a cat. Sebastian was a true gentleman–a cat I could call my own cat. The very best snuggly, wuggly cat.

Look up Emma Dodd’s other books, we loved I Am Small and Sometimes… Apparently there is also I Don’t Want a Posh Dog!  so we’ll be searching for that one soon.

A Tale of Sisterly Love

No one wants to share the spotlight especially when it’s the first-born and she’s losing her crown of Only Child. I worried how it would affect my daughter when our second one came along. All pushing and hair pulling aside, she mostly loves her baby sister. (It’s actually the little one I have to worry about! She’s more of a “bully!”)

One of our new favorite books addresses the issue of sibling rivalry. In Chloe, Instead written and illustrated by Micah Player, the big sister, Molly, laments having to share her house with her little sister, Chloe, and how it’s not the picnic she envisioned.

Chloe!

The cover alone makes me happy!

Molly wanted a little sister just like her to share in her love of keyboards, reading, and coloring…

Everything's Great

Everything’s Great…

but Chloe is a little too passionate and “spirited” as babies discovering the world can be.

…until Molly snaps!

Chloe is the cutest little spitfire and reminds me of my younger one, (especially the fact that her cuteness saves her!) She’s got that gleam in her eye that says, “Watch out, world!” And Molly is a lot like my older one who likes things done her way and will not budge unless bribed with a sweet treat.

Cheeky Monkey

Cheeky Monkey

Maybe it’s because the story is about two little girls, or maybe because the pictures are just so darn cute, or maybe it’s a little bit of both, but I’m head over heels for this book and I know you’ll be too!

Oh, Chloe!

Oh, Chloe!

Obsessed with Books

We go to storytime every week.

It’s our religion.

I don’t know if it’s more for me or for my daughter as I’m just as obsessed about getting new library books as she is. It must be what Carrie Bradshaw felt every time she passed a shoe store. My palms get all sweaty and my heart skips a beat seeing all the book spines lined up.  I want ALL the books and I want them now!

I can’t help myself from perusing the shelves while my daughter sits and listens to the librarian read aloud. For the length of those three books, I’m in hog heaven imagining I had time to read at all. I end up checking out books that I know I’ll never finish–a classic case of my eyes being too big for my stomach. If that’s not an addiction, I don’t know what is. I could care less if my little girl is behaving and listening while sitting criss-cross applesauce, just let me look at books and imagine sitting in a quiet room, or better yet, an island in the sun with my book and a daiquiri.

I wanted to pass on my love of reading and books and I think it’s already taken. She loves to read all day, sometimes choosing them over watching a movie (which makes me really proud). This is what the corner of her dresser looks like at all times:

Library Books Galore

So I’ve decided to start writing about our favorites. I’ve come across so many children’s books that I absolutely adore that I want to share them with someone. Whenever the storytime lady reads one that I’ve already checked out, I yawn and shine my knuckles on my crusty shirt, “We read that ages ago. Get with it, lady.” Not really, but I do feel some sort of smug satisfaction that we indeed already read it. How stupid, huh? I can’t help it.

Our newest batch of books includes Crankee Doodle, Little Oink, and Hank Finds An Egg.

Hank Finds An Egg

Hank! My Hero!

I instantly fell in love with the photos in this book. It features an adorable little teddy bear named Hank who *surprisingly* finds an egg in the woods!

There aren’t any words in this book–which is somewhat an issue for a writer as myself–as the story is the guts of the book–however without words, it gives the writer in all of us a chance to create our own story. The author, Rebecca Dudley, created a storybook with whimsical pictures and a heart-warming storyline featuring a bear who wants to return a lost egg to its rightful owner. When we see all the trouble he went through to get the egg back to its home, do we then, truly understand Hank and his journey.

There’s something truly magical about Hank and his quest to get the egg back to its nest.

mama and hankHe’s a gentleman in an age where chivalry has died. Sure, he could go ahead and eat that egg when the economy has tanked and he’s ‘hankering’ for a Whopper but all he gets are some sprouts and berries. But no, he goes and delivers that egg to its Mama, like a true gentleman. There should be more dudes like Hank in the world. Out, not just for himself, but for mankind.

Check out this enchanting book if you still believe in happy endings…and I’m not talking about the kind at the massage parlors.