Dude

Dude, talk about awesome! Christopher Aslan's newest book, Dude, illustrated by Emily Mullock is another home-run hit. Dude is a pretty simple book with an even simpler concept, but the way it is carried out really makes Dude a book parents and kids are going to enjoy.

On each page, the Dude character is illustrated in a different situation, using the word "dude" to express his different feelings. We see everything from exhaustion and surprise, to awe and amazement. There are more than 25 different scenarios for Dude, and even more opportunities for you and your child to have fun saying "dude" in a rainbow of different ways.

My six year old son loves putting himself into the book, pretending to be Dude and then trying all the different voices Dude would use in each situation. My husband stands firm in his jealously in not having thought of this concept himself. Then, when I told my best friend about the book, she laughed and was amused and entertained by the idea. Simply put, this simple book brings so much to everyone!

This is the third book I've seen by Christopher Aslan and I already can't wait to see what he comes up with next. I think we are looking at another legendary children's author, to sit high with the likes of Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle and Sandra Boynton (just to name a few of our household favorites).

If you are interested in purchasing Dude by Christopher Aslan, visit Dude on Amazon.com to purchase your copy today!

I Love You More

I Love You More reminds me of a game I used to play with my Papaw. I would tell him how much I loved him by reaching my arms out, like every other child, touting "I love you this much!" And he would always reply to me, with his fingers pinching out about an inch-long of space, "Yes, but I will always love you this much more than you'll ever love me!"

That sort of adoration I had with my Papaw, and the kind of love a child and mother have for each other is poetically defined in the children's book by Laura Dukesta, I Love You More. However, this book actually goes a littler further than the title implies because it is "A flip-sided book… like love it never ends" It begins with mom telling her son how much she loves him, and then at the end of the story, you simply close the book, flip it around and start again. This time, the adoring son recites his love for his mommy.

If your child is anything like my son, one story at bed time just isn't enough. This one book, so imaginatively illustrated by Karen Keesler, can be easily read from front to middle for the first story and flipped and read to the middle for the second and back again. It's fun and enjoyable for the young and old; the reader and the listener!

My four year old refers to I Love You More as "the magic book" and he's been wanting to read it every night since it made its way into our home. Plus, as a mother I get to read him a feel-good story that leaves me knowing that he truly understands just how much I love him. That's the best feeling to give a child before bed, and that's exactly what I Love You More delivers!