Wenda the Wacky Wiggler

Wenda the Wacky Wiggler is the tale of a very spirited child. Much like my very happy and active son, she is filled with such joy, it can't be contained and she just has to move, move, and move. Then, just like in real life, the grumpy adults, who have lost sight of the daily pleasures life brings, want to keep Wenda from dancing around and enjoying each day the way she knows best. Despite their best efforts to keep Wenda silent and still, the grumpy adults saw Wenda's excitement for life welled from deep within. They opened their eyes and let Wenda's infectious love for herself and her love for life seep within their own hearts, and before they knew it, they were enjoying themselves, their lives, and all the things they were now able to do with a positive attitude - all thanks to Wenda!

Wenda's tale is inspiring for the young, and reminds those of us who aren't so young anymore, that the world through the eyes of a child can make us feel light and happy. Christopher Aslan has really poured his heart into this tale, and you feel that from the moment the story begins. If you don't walk away from this joyful tale with a smile on your face, you weren't paying attention, and you need to start over from the beginning!

Not only is Wenda the Wacky Wiggler a tale that is bound to become a treasured classic, but Emily Mullcok's illustrations are energizing and compliment the positive flow of the story.

I look forward to seeing more books from Christopher Aslan, and the positive messages they bring to the young and old. He's becoming a favorite of mine and I believe every other family will feel the same. Invite Wenda into your home today and you will feel her joy, too!

Lilly and Lucy's Shadow

From page one, it is easy to fall in love with Lilly and Lucy. I see myself and memories from the past playing out through the pages of this beautifully illustrated book. I then see my twin girls as younger versions of Lilly and Lucy. Just like the girls in the book, my girls have danced and played with their shadows.

Some stories really give you a warm feeling when you read them, and this is one of those stories. Regardless of gender, the story is identifiable by all readers of all ages. Christopher Aslan's writing style makes reading aloud easy because of the rhythm and flow of the words. Toddlers and preschoolers will definitely enjoy not only the story itself, but the sound and the pictures that go along. Early readers will be able to read along and identify the action verbs, which is very helpful for children like my first grader, whom is learning to read longer words.

Lilly and Lucy's Shadow is a great addition to your family bookshelf. Between the writing and the artistry, it's got at least a little something for everyone in your home!

My Grammar and I... Or Should That Be Me?

I really enjoy writing, and because I do a lot of it, I must make sure my grammar is spot-on. Plus, poor grammar is a pet peeve of mine and no matter how many times I grind my teeth over a poorly written sentence, I can't change the way others write. It makes it even harder for some since the rules of writing tend to change a little over time. For example, when I was in high school, you always, always added a comma at the end of a string of words, right before the word "and" (known as a serial comma). But now, the last comma isn't always necessary. So, when is it necessary? My Grammar and I Or Should That Be Me?: Old School Ways to Improve Your English answers this and many more questions (including the big question posed in the title)!

For those of us addicted to proper grammar, and for those of you interested in being able to improve your writing, My Grammar and I Or Should That Be Me? provides the answers to questions you have with a relaxed and sometimes comedic approach. Even through my fogged mommy-brain, I am able to sit and read through My Grammar and I Or Should That Be Me? quite easily, which is more than I can say for some of my college level English textbooks!

Some of you may be wondering if I am one of those social networkers that reads and re-reads my Facebook status updates before I post. The answer is yes, I do. In fact, if I do see a grammatical error, I promptly delete it and start over or post again and explain my lack of accuracy by blaming it on my fogged mommy-brain! I suppose it would be a little too much for me to purchase My Grammar and I Or Should That Be Me? as secret pal gifts for those who don't worry about grammatically correct status updates, especially now after reviewing the book.

Surely, there must be many more of you out there stressing over the serial comma, and if you are, My Grammar and I Or Should That Be Me? is a helpful piece of therapy! For those of you simply pondering the proper usage of various nouns, pronouns, verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, or even the serial comma (and many more), My Grammar and I Or Should That Be Me?: Old School Ways to Improve Your English will provide you with a simple and easy to remember explanation for each question you may have.

If you like this book, you may also be interested in reading reviews on these other books:

• I Used to Know That
• i before e (except after c)

I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School

I am a stickler for fact based books. I still have all my college books for reference, and even though they are only collecting dust in the bottom of a spare closet, I've convinced myself I need to keep them. I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School, by Caroline Taggart, is the book that isn't collecting dust because it wraps so many different facts into one compact book! In fact, it as found a nice little home on my computer desk - far away from the dark depths of a closet!

Unless you are teaching a subject in school or are a super genius, there's just no way you are going to be able to remember everything you were taught. You will probably remember the difference between an adverb and an adjective, but will you remember what "diphthongs" are? In fact, I had to read that word twice because I couldn't recall anything having been called a diphthong!

I've studied a fair amount of literature and even though it was in college - my most recent studies - I still am unable to retain everything, even after writing research papers on the same topics! I just don't use the information every day and of course, much of what I had learned has disappeared from my mental database. But I sat back and flipped through the literature portion of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School and it was amazing to see what memories were being triggered! From Shakespeare to J.R.R. Tolkien, each literary great has at least a small spotlight in I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School.

Whether you are a literary buff, a lover of science, or just interested in unlocking the memory back that's collecting a little bit of dust, I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School covers many other topics like Religion, History, Geography, Nature and more!

If you like this book, you may also be interested in reading reviews on these other books:

• My Grammar and I... Or Should That Be Me?
• i before e (except after c)