Pitcher Books

And now, a propos of Mother's Day -- yes, we are on a theme this week -- I'd like to present one of my all-time favorite picture books. Buy yourself a copy or hunt it down at your local library, and you and a short person are in for a treat.

You're Just What I Need

This is basically the classic game where the child hides under the covers and the mother can't POSSIBLY guess who or what that oddly shaped lump could be. A bundle of laundry? An old mop? A bunch of carrots? Kids love this book (as I did when I was a child and it went by the name The Bundle Book) because the grown-up involved seems so delightfully dim-witted. Moms love it because it captures in a few words and pictures the tender connection between a mother and child having fun together.

And while we're on the subject of picture books, here's one of Caroline's top picks as of late:

That's Good! That's Bad!

This is a hilarious slash perilous romp through the jungle, where nothing is quite as it seems at first blush. After reading it approximately fifty six times to Caroline, I discovered that she thought it was an ongoing disagreement between the small protagonist and his parents. Personally, I'd call it more of a dialogue between the narrator and the audience (us), but I'm just a delightfully dimwitted grown-up, so what do I know?

As Eliza once confided in me, "Sometimes grown-ups forget things, and they need their children around to remind them."

Ahem. Which picture books are getting extra love in your house these days?