Wednesday Review: “Grizzly Dad,” “Baby Bliss in a Box” and “The Grandparent Book”
MamaToo is gonna be MamaThree any minute now, and look what I found for her for presents…
Just in time for Father’s Day, along comes “Grizzly Dad: Why Dads are GREAT (even the grumpy ones!)” (Joanna Harrison, David Fickling Books, $16.99, unpaged).
“Dad woke up in a GRRRRIZZLY mood! All morning he grrroaned and grrrizzled and GRRRUMPED!”
The washing machine is on the fritz, the baby is into everything; little sister is yowling and the dog is eating breakfast off the table. Big brother is looking worried. Just wait… things are going to get even a little crazier.
Pretty illustrations and a funny, engaging story. (As a disclaimer, the author swears that her own husband “is almost never grumpy.” Heh heh.)
“Baby Bliss in a Box” (Design by Jim Massey, illustrations by Jonny Hannah, Potter Style, $15.95) is a cool collection of cards for “wisdom and well-wishes” from family and friends. Great idea. Would be smart to carry these around and hand them to the ladies at the grocery store who scream at you for not putting a hat on baby. Ha. (I think they’re intended for a baby shower activity, but would be good, too, for people who drop by to visit once baby comes home.) My card would say: They start rolling sooner than you think; don’t leave him on the couch.
I know. Ouchie.
“The Grandparent Book” (Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Potter Style, $16.99, unpaged) is a sweet idea, and the format is perfect. In my grandmother’s things, we found stacks of her old diaries, scribbled in medium-sized, practical journals. We also found one girly pink journal, with roses and swirls, titled “My Life Story.”
Those journals — they’re intimidating. They’re fancy, and they expect a lot from a person. So I wasn’t expecting much when I opened it. But guess what? She had filled out about three-fourths of it. Yay, Grandma.
The Grandparent Book is a beautiful book — funky, arty cover; a good size; decent paper. It’s pretty, but it’s also spiral bound and has the feel of a scrapbook, so it will not be too intimidating. It has spaces for photos and keepsakes; pages for “My Childhood Stats,” “Shall We Compare?” (an activity to do with the grandkids); a spot for memories of the teen years and lots more.
Nice book.
Reviewed today:
Thanks for the great gift ideas!
June 18th, 2009 | #
One of wc 2.0’s friends is named Bliss.
June 18th, 2009 | #