{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} – Library Book Edition!

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This post is a part of my “Board Book Beauty – Savoring the small as I read to my toddler” series. To see all of the posts in the series, go here.

A friend commented to me recently that she really enjoyed the {Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} posts I used to write. As she said it, I realized how much I miss documenting those small moments of contentment each week. The wonderful women over at Like Mother, Like Daughter, who first started the series of posts and encouraged others to join in, have stopped hosting them, but that doesn’t mean I can’t continue the practice on my own. So, without further ado, a return to the pretty, happy, funny and real in my life – this week (and for the rest of October), focused on books that fit within my Board Book Beauty series.

(Disclaimer: I recognize that none of the books featured today are actually board books. But they ARE books I’ve read to my toddler, which is good enough for me.)

{Pretty}

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Thank You, God, by J. Bradley Wigger and illustrated by Jago (who also illustrated the wonderful Jesus Storybook Bible), isn’t a book you’d necessarily expect to find in the children’s section of a public library these days – especially in our county. But find it we did, and I’m grateful. It’s gorgeously illustrated, with solid text behind it. Katie and I both enjoy reading this one together.

{Happy}

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Who couldn’t be happy reading Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel? At our last visit, I saw this and had to grab it; it’s one of Jonathan’s favorites from childhood. Unfortunately, as was true when I tried to share my favorite – The Velveteen Rabbit – with her, there are some pages with a text-to-image ratio that’s too high to hold Katie’s attention. Still, it’s a happy thing indeed to share the things we love with our kids, and the fact that Daddy loves this book made it special to her, too.

{Funny}

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They read The Watermelon Seed at a library story time recently. Katie, quiet observer that she is, didn’t react at all as the librarian turned the pages, but she made a beeline for it afterwards. We brought it home with us and she laughs uproariously every single time we read it. It doesn’t have any rhythm or rhyme and it isn’t likely to be a classic, but it tickles my little girl’s funny bone, and that’s recommendation enough for me.

{Real}

(I don’t have an image of this one because it’s already been returned to the library.)

This is real: while we’ve generally had good success in the books we bring home, every now and then, we strike out. When we were at the library last, they had Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies on display. For reasons I can’t explain, Katie was instantly drawn to it and insisted on bringing it home. After one reading, Jonathan and I decided to put it away, out of sight, until we had the chance to return it. While I am deeply saddened by the fact that resources about bullying are necessary, and this might be a good book for kids who are being bullied, the chances that Katie experiences such things at this stage in her life are small enough that the potential positives from the story were outweighed by the negative behaviors exhibited by the bullies.

There you have it. {PHFR} Library Edition. How about you? Read any pretty, happy, funny or real books lately?

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2 response to "{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} – Library Book Edition!"

  1. By: Jennifer Posted: October 6, 2016

    I always love the {phfr} posts (reading and contributing). What a fun way to bring it back, by relating it to books. It would be fun to keep {phfr} going, and I like your idea of having a loose topic – books.

    • By: Jenn Posted: October 7, 2016

      Thanks, Jennifer! Maybe there’s a way that those of us who benefit from PHFR could find each other. I know that it’s good for me to take the time to record the small moments in my week.

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