Care Bears Plant a Garden

In her second hand-picked book, my daughter chose this Care Bear favorite to share. With the passing of Spring, we have watched flowers bloom and fill our neighborhood with delightful colors and fragrances. I wasn't surprised when she chose this book, one that we have read two nights in a row. In this book, the Care Bears teach us about teamwork and the fruits of its labor.

Puppy Love

These next two featured books are hand picked by my little girl herself. As I thought about why she chose this book, it became increasingly clear to me that my little girl was growing up before my eyes. You've heard me talk about her interest in boys, so it seems fitting that she would be asking herself what this word 'love' is all about. I am amazed to watch her process these feelings and begin to express them to me and to the people she cares about. Follow along as Clifford explores the emotion of love and how he finds joy in discovering how wonderful it can be.

Garfield turns 30!

I thought I would release the inner nerd in me a little today to let you all know some very important news. Today, Garfield the cat turns the big
30!
In 1978 Garfield stepped into syndication and into our hearts as America's favorite fat, lazy, and most times obnoxious feline. I think if we allow ourselves to admit it, we will find a little taste of Garfield in all of us.

A Bad Case of Stripes

My daughter went through a phase of coloring in stripes. Everything she colored got a splash of rainbow. I don't know if it was her indecision or if she really just liked all the colors, but it was her trademark for several months. I remember my mother telling me one time about all of the cute little trademarks each of her children had growing up. My brother Mark was known for giving everything a belly button. Perhaps her interest in stripes drew her to this book. A Bad Case of Stripes is a cute story of a little girl who likes lima beans and goes through all types of headache before realizing that liking lima beans is not the worst thing in the world. While lima beans may never make my list of favorite foods, this book has made our list of favorite books. We hope you enjoy it too!

Lessons from a Frog

I am used to being the cool dad, having things go my way. But last night, all of that changed...and I think everything is going to be just fine.

About a month ago my child came home with a frog. The scene was straight out of a children's book. She had a shoebox poked full of holes. Inside was a stick, a few rocks, a handful of grass, and what we later determined was Fairy Frog. As soon as we got home we outfitted Fairy Frog in a brand new king-sized box, freshly stocked with natural surroundings. She even got her own pool! The habitat was fit for a queen, and I even pondered for a moment that if only I would kiss the frog, perhaps she'd turn into that beautiful princess I had been looking for. Alas, the thought was fleeting and there we sat with the frog.

For four weeks we catered to this frog, occassionally heading out to the front yard to turn over a stone or two in search for a few worms. I learned that rollie pollies are not only a tastely treat but are also no where near extinction. Blame it on my bad mood or maybe my sensibility, but one day I finally had enough. "The frog has got to go," I declared! Who wants to live a life stuffed up in a box anyway? You would think that this line of reasoning would appeal to her better nature, but my little girl wanted nothing to do with it.

Needless to say, I went from super dad to super dud in about three seconds. Despite her pleading efforts, I held my ground and we found a nicely shaded area in the flower bed. For the next several hours, the world might as well have come to an end. We even had to call one of her friends so she could tell her how horrible life was (she's only 5 for crying out loud...is she really pouring her heart out on the phone already?). I got a good scolding from the other 5-yr-old on the other end of the line.

We quickly found another distraction (Disney's Enchanted) and life seemed to be back to normal. Believe it or not, the frog was still there the next morning, huddled under the same little plant. Maybe that was its way of letting us know that change sometimes comes slowly. When we got back home that afternoon, the frog was gone and my daughter seemed to be pacified by the thought that the frog was out looking for worms.

We've all but forgotten about Fairy Frog and my daughter is back to chasing boys. Maybe the frog wasn't that bad afterall. I've learned a lot from Fairy Frog. I've learned to hunt worms; make a cardboard box into a rain forest; and I've learned that sometimes we have to let things go. It might be hard at first, but eventually...life goes on.

Swallowed a Fly

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly...I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
Perhaps she'll die.

This favorite children's song has such a playful adaptation in a book by Simms Taback. You'll find yourself tapping your foot as the old lady grows more and more adventurous in what she swallows. Will she die? I know I would if I swallowed a cat. Despite its lunacy, my daughter has fun with this book and I know you will too.

Oliver & Company

I guess it is only fair to talk about Disney Princess this week since we gave our props last week to a non-Disney princess. Disney's Princess Collection is filled with short story versions of our favorite Disney ladies. Hidden between the pages of mermaid fun and glass slippers is one of our favorites - Oliver & Company. To say that my little girl loves kittens is an understatement, so it is no surprise that she has been choosing this one over and over. Fittingly, in Walt's way, there is a happy ending to the story and our hero saves the day. We highly recommend this story for a little feline fun!