Tag: Be yourself

Love Monster

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Love Monster (2012) by Rachel Bright

The slightly hairy, a little bit funny looking, Love Monster, is surrounded by cute, fluffy things.  But he doesn’t let that deter him on his quest for finding love.  Prepared with a plan and a suitcase of essentials (including doughnuts and back-up doughnuts, of course), Love Monster sets out.  His search for love is tougher than he anticipated, but all ends well for this googly-eyed little guy.

Love Monster is darling and genuine and relatable and, much though he may not realize it, completely lovable by all.  (I want a Monster Teddy like his!)

 

You might also enjoy:
Marilyn’s Monster
Valentine’s Day book list

Milli, Jack, and the Dancing Cat

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Milli, Jack, and the Dancing Cat (2003)..
by Stephen Michael King

I don’t know that I ever would have found this book had a friend of mine not tucked it in with a shipment of baby clothes she was loaning me.  She said the book was one of their favorites and one that made her think of me.  I was so touched by that, especially after I read it.  This book immediately skyrocketed to one of my all-time favorites.

Milli is an artist, a creator, but she’s too shy to share her creations with the world.  So, she does her best to blend in with the ordinary world, as a basic shoemaker.  But when two minstrels show up in town and befriend her, Milli suddenly finds the spark she had needed to be who she truly is.

 

You might also enjoy:
Belinda the Ballerina

You’re Beautiful

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I often miss the “viral” videos, since I’m not on social media.  But I recently found this one of a high school student who took pictures of students and staff, telling them that she wanted to capture things that are beautiful.  So amazing to see everyone’s reactions.

*If you do watch the video, there is one aggressive response and two curse words, FYI.*

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?

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How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (2007)
written by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Charlie’s teacher has an assignment one fall day—to guess and count how many seeds are in three different-sized pumpkins.  The class separates the seeds and comes up with methods for counting them.  All are surprised by the results, and Charlie also learns to feel better about being the smallest one in the class.

While not a life-changing book, this is still a great fall or Halloween choice.  The story is simple, and my daughter loved that it took place at a school.  It introduces “skip counting” by 2s, 5s, and 10s and can lend itself to so many activities and lessons.  I learned a couple new things from the book too, which is always good.

We set out to count our own pumpkin seeds.  Well, at this stage, mostly Mama did the sorting and counting.  We ended up with a whopping 460 in a small-sized pumpkin, thus proving one of the book’s points.

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (2007)

 

You might also like:
Halloween Books list

The Story of Ferdinand

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The Story of Ferdinand (1936)
by Munro Leaf, illustrations by Robert Lawson

I never read this classic picture book as a child, so I don’t know that I would have picked it up for our baby girl had a friend not given it to us.  It instantly became one of my favorites!

This charming book tells the story of Ferdinand, a nature-loving, peaceful bull who accidentally ends up at the bull fight in Madrid.  The simple black-and-white illustrations are just delightful, and I love how Ferdinand is content to just be himself.  I’m so glad to have this picture book as part of our daughter’s library!

Apparently, this picture book was written in one afternoon, and it caused enough controversy to be banned from several countries including Spain, where the tale takes place.

The Story of Ferdinand (1936)