BIG book, little book

I've always considered myself an avid reader. As a kid, I was one of those nerds that listed "reading" as one of my hobbies for some "all-about-me" type school project.

In my later years, I would devour books in a single, leisurely sitting. These days... not so much. Most of my reading involves lots of illustrations and talking animals and the closest thing I have to leisure time typically involves mindlessly folding laundry after the kids have gone to bed or staring at a magazine for all of 3 minutes before somebody pees their pants or breaks something (hubby included). I'd really love to find a way to carve out some me time to give back to my old literary companions, so I am challenging myself to offer up a monthly book review, for both mamas and littles.

While my littlest guy, Hud, prefers raising cane and coloring on walls, Max takes after his nerdy mom and could sit and read books with me for hours. I savor our pre-bedtime book ritual, and regardless of the book, it is one of my favorite moments of every day. Every now and then, I find myself enjoying the book just as much, if not more, than he does. The Best Pet of All, by David La Rochelle, is definitely on of those books.

photo courtesy of Amazon.com

In it, a boy asks his mother repeatedly for a dog and is repeatedly turned down for a variety of reasons. When he asks for a dragon instead, he's told he can have one, if he can find one- and just when he's about to give up his search- he finds one at the drugstore (of course). He turns out to be a particularly naughty dragon, who ultimately makes mom question her stance on dogs.

Aside from having adorable, retro-inspired illustrations by Hanako Wakiyama, the book has a clever story and slightly sarcastic tone that leaves me smiling every time we finish it.

As for my big book, this month's post will be a bit of a makeshift, but just as noteworthy with the added bonus of ridiculousness to get your Friday started off just right...

photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Sloane Tannen has a hilarious take on the modern "chick" in her comic photography book Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same. Also, for those of us in need of a good mommy-to-be book, Ms. Tannen has also published this little ditty, which I'm sure is equally charming and hilarious:

Been There.

Enjoy! Any suggestions for my first read????