Book Report

One of the best things for me about being a parent is the rediscovery of books I grew up reading and the new discovery of more recent children's books out there now. Our average number of items checked out from the library is around 50. Excessive probably, but I figure, why not? So as a way to pass the time while we wait to hear about our court date, I thought I'd start a regular "Book Report" post every week, or few days, or whatever. I'm not good at these regular posts according to the day of the week, so I'll just post when I think of it.

The first book I want to mention is Orville: A Dog Story by Haven Kimmel, one of my favorite writers of memoirs. To be honest, Abe got bored with it, but I adored it. I called Ted in so I could read the last couple of pages to him. It took me a while to get through those two pages because of fighting back the chokes in my throat and bubbling tears in my eyes. My favorite kind of story is one of redemption, and this one is a perfect redemption story. The line that got me most is, "And Orville wished he could say to people, 'There are ways to slip free of a chain'." I love this book. I love Haven Kimmel.

The next book is part of a series that I also found at our library in the staff picks section for kids. It's called The Adventures of Meno by Tony and Angela Diterlizzi. It's a little "out there," so be warned. Abe will sit and listen to books being read for hours, but few actually make him laugh out loud. This one did. I won't give away the secret of what makes him laugh but you'll figure it out quickly when you read it. The "Big Fun" in Book One is soooo fun, for a three-year-old boy at least (and his mid-30s mother).