Lauri Meyers .

I'm finally ready with my last post on subversive books: Real Life Scary. The other topics I covered so far are: Part 1: While Your Parents Are Out Part 2: Nakeyness Part 3: The Dark Part 4: Scary Creatures Part 5: Mortal Danger I didn't plan to write about real life scariness. It took brainstorming what made books scary to identify this area. I've also been procrastinating this one, because perhaps it scares me the most. There's something refreshing about being able to close a book on gooey green monsters, which you know probably aren't real. And even though I'm scared of the dark, I know there's probably really not anything lurking in it. But real life. Now, that's scary. It's probably not fair to call these subversive, but here's a selection of books that make me pause before reading to my kids. And my breath hitches when I consider there are little children who are living in similar situations to these today. ...

      Today you will be treated to a guest post by Kasie Whitener from Life on Clemson Road .  She is a writer, process improvement analyst, jack of many trades, and mom to a Pirate Princess named HB.  She is reviewing the book Pinkalicious , the original book which has turned into a 20+ book series and enterprise for author/illustrator Victoria Kann.        “I neeeeeeed mmmoooorrrre!” HB whines after I’ve given her two cookies.  I respond, “You get what you get, and you don’t get upset.”   I wish I could thank my Momma or Nana for this clever piece of rhyming reason, but I stole it from somewhere else: Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann, authors of the Pinkalicious series.   The protagonist is an imaginative little girl whose favorite color is pink.      In the series’ first installment, Pinkalicious , mommy and Pinkalicious are making cupcakes.  After waking up from her nap, Pinkalicious asks mommy fo...

                I got my prize copy of Mooshka - A Quilt Story last week (thank you Peachtree Publishers )!   I felt I had to pay it forward by reviewing the book.                    First, don't let the title fool you.  I admit to being a nerdy, crafty kind of gal, but my mind expects "A Quilt Story" to be told at the Golden Girls' kitchen table by Rose Nylund.   Even in St Olaf, how interesting could a quilt be?   Luckily, the story isn't (just) a quilt story.   It is a coming of age story; a little girl becoming a big sister.   For the sake of this review, let's rename it Mooshka- A Quilt Story #NewBaby#Blankie#BigSister.                 On to the story:                      Karla's quilt, g...