Top Three Lists: Easy-Readers, Board Books, Novels, and More

Hi there!

I am in the middle of what’s about to be a very fun week, so I thought I’d drop a quick Top Three List before my week’s end really gets cranked up. My sweet in-laws and parents are coming into town tomorrow afternoon for my husband’s graduation on Friday. Tomorrow is my 30th birthday, so, basically, my day is revolving around food, friends, family, and scrambling to clean before our entire, immediate families roll into town.

But before I break out the vacuum and mop, let’s list some great reads!

---

The Kiddos’ Top Three:

Pete the Cat and the Lost Tooth by James Dean

So, we’ve now discovered easy-reader books, and my first-born is keeping up pretty well. Ever since I checked out this book, he has a weird fascination with the Tooth Fairy, especially since he’d never heard of said mythical being prior to seeing her give Pete the Cat magical wings.

Let’s Find Momo! by Andrew Knapp

My daughter, now 18-months, has about eight solid words down pat. And now, thanks to this book, “Momo” is one of them. It’s a typical look-and-find book, where littles point out hidden objects. In this case, Andrew Knapp took adorable pictures of his border collie hiding in piles of bananas and stuffed animals and peeking over bookshelves and from playground forts. Olivia gets so excited and proud of herself when she points out Momo. This is the only children’s board book. Find Momo and Find Momo: Coast to Coast are for ages 3-133, according to the website.

ABC Pasta: An Entertaining Alphabet by Juana Medina

After listening to The Greatest Showman soundtrack constantly on repeat (I alternate with Hamilton), I feel a special connection to this picture book. Each page has a different alliteration using a letter of the alphabet, and the illustrations utilize a piece of pasta. So, for instance, “D is for ditalini daredevils,” and the little man on a motorcycle is wearing a piece of ditalini pasta as a helmet. Super clever. My only complaint? I have no idea how to appropriately pronounce the following pastas: campanelle, gemelli, integrale, nero di seppia, and all’uovo.

---

Mama’s Top Three:

Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson

There’s a sequel! Who knew? OK, it came out 14 years ago, so maybe a ton of people knew. It feels like a sophomoric attempt at following Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, but, really, how can you top that classic? It’s a toughie. This one is cute, as numbers decide to race to the top of an apple tree. Zero wants to find a place on the tree, then becomes a heroic figure in the end. Spoiler!

Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel

I gave this book four out of five stars on Goodreads because so many commas are missing! How do people in the biz overlook errors like that? Grrr… Anyhow, I first discovered Brendan Wenzel with They All Saw a Cat, which I found very clever. This book subtlely reveals how we all have similarities, even if we look completely different from our neighbor. But the author-illustrator utilizes nature’s strangest creatures to pull off this moral. The illustrations are just stunning. Thank you for this, Mr. Wenzel.

Llamaphones by Janik Coat

I haven’t even read this one to my kids yet, but I read it at a stoplight after leaving the library today. Janik Coat’s books are that clever. Actually, I just ordered all three (Rhymoceros and Hippopposites included) off Amazon for my bookshelf. I mean, uh, my kids’ bookshelf…

On the back cover, we have a definition of “llamaphones”. They are “Words that sound the same but have different meanings. Homophones with a llama.” Does that answer all of your questions?

---

What Mama Reads:

Honeysuckle Dreams by Denise Hunter

As I grew up before the golden age of young-adult literature took off, I spent most of my high school years reading Christian romances to avoid pre-marital sex and other moral no-nos in books. Did this give me an unrealistic view of romance? I’d give that a yes. But, it did protect me from numerous other ailments. Denise Hunter is one of my favorites. I’m actually knee-deep in Pierce Brown’s Iron Gold, but I took a break to fly through Denise’s latest because I had pre-ordered it and Amazon loves to benevolently leave packages on my front porch.

Back to Iron Gold. You watched me truck through the Red Rising trilogy last year, and I loved it. It’s rougher than my normal fare, but gripping and worth the read for anyone who enjoys a good sci-fi (again, not my normal fare). When I started Red Rising, I had no idea it was a trilogy. Then, when I finished the trilogy, I had no idea Pierce Brown was still adding to the series. This is book four, and he’s bringing out book five, Dark Age, in September. How is this guy doing it? This book is almost 600 pages long!

Lastly, I’m also reading A Place of Quiet Rest: Finding Intimacy With God Through a Daily Devotional Life by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This has been such an impactful book on my daily devotions with God. It’s a practical guide and encouragement to invest the time to spend with God each day, reading the Bible and building a personal relationship. Imagine that! It takes work and sacrifice to gain something of value! Sigh, I’ve been missing out for awhile now, so I’m looking forward to renewing this piece of my life.

---

Well, that’s all, folks! I hope you’re getting some good reading in. I’ll let you in on May’s Reading Challenge soon, but first, let me get through turning 30 and celebrating Dr. Husband this weekend. *winky face*

Like what you see? For more Mama, follow me on Twitter and Instagram.