Dave Barry's Merry Little Tale

At 116 pages (including pictures) The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog is so short it risks being ignored (why bother?) or annoying the reader (is that it?!) but it's Dave Barry, and it's Christmastime after all, so perhaps "good things come in small packages" was the operating principle when I picked up the petite book.

OK, who's kidding who? I picked it up because Dave Barry wrote it. I've only recently stopped chuckling at inappropriate times after reading Naked Came the Manatee, and I finished that years ago.  While Walter didn't offer as many laugh-out-loud moments, I felt pretty good when I closed the book. It was sweet and warm, like spiked eggnog, but unlike that delightful concoction, this one didn't leave me feeling like there wasn't enough.

I read the nostalgic narrative in about 40 minutes, and it was just right. In his easy, conversational tone, Barry bundles memories of Christmas, 1960, into a singular story. The author manages to include a dozen or so funny, sweet anecdotes about teenage angst and family conflicts without distracting from the main plot, about the annual Christmas pageant and the demise of a beloved family pet. I know, that last bit is a downer. But honestly, it doesn't feel like a kick in the stomach coming from Barry. I felt pretty warm and fuzzy when I finished the book, and that's not the spiked eggnog talking.


- - - - - Looking for a light pick for your book club? The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog will put everyone in the holiday spirit.

Christmas in July

I hate to shop, and I make no exception for the biggest shopping excuse of all, the onslaught of gift-giving-guilt that comes with the Christmas season. (Pardon me for a moment; I'm struggling to refrain from a full-blown lecture on the reason for the season and our misguided notion that we must shop instead of reflect at that time.)

My response, right or wrong, is to collect gifts all year. When I see the "just right" thingamajig for so-and-so, I buy it, whether it's August or February. With a little organization (read: a lot of luck) I'll not only have my holiday shopping done way early, I'll also be able to find all of the items and match them to their intended recipients before December 24. I can hope.

Books, no surprise, are some of my favorite things to give as gifts - and picture books are the best of the best. Good picture books are timeless, sturdy, beautiful, and read countless times.

Without further blabbering, here are the picture books I highly recommend as gifts this year:

- There are Cats in this Book
- The Seven Silly Eaters
- The Gruffalo
- Harold and the Purple Crayon

And for moms, again I'll add a plug for two of my favorites that came out before Mother's Day:
-Because I Love Her, edited by Andrea N. Richesin, and
-mothers & children, published by National Geographic

Books I could give to anyone include
-Wesley the Owl and
-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Of course a gift card is always an easy choice, and while Amazon and the big chains are obvious/convenient choices, there are many good reasons to support your local independent book seller - more on that later!

Hoberman's Seven Silly Eaters Still Magic

I've been reading The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman for nearly a decade.

The picture book written in Hoberman's pitch-perfect verse tells the story of the Peters family with not one, not a handful, but seven (!) very picky eaters.

Mrs. Peters goes from the epitome of patience to nearly-undone in the course of the story; in the end, the whole family finds an accidental but delightful solution: they eat cake!

(Trust me, Hoberman does a much better job with the story than I do.)

My son, nearing the five-year mark, requested it again last night; then my just-turned 13yo daughter curled up on the couch to hear it for the upteenth time!

What? The same children who had spent most of the previous four hours trying to confound, maim, or kill each other? Yes. The same kids who nearly caused their not-so-patient mommy to crack up? The same.

Hoberman's magic worked again; providing yet another very happy ending to our evening.

Neat trick!

Need I say it? If you're looking for a gift for almost any young reader/listener, I recommend this one.

Support Your Local Authors

Well, now that I've had a bit of eggnog my holiday grumpiness is (almost) gone and I'm really excited because I just found the perfect gift for one of my favorite neighbors. It's The Christmas Dragon, written by Mary Ryan and illustrated by Susan Collette - a couple of talented and very nice Northeast Ohio residents. It's a chapter book for ages 7 - 10.

The Christmas Dragon came out too late for Amazon to pick it up in time for the holidays, but Mary is nice enough to handle sales until the giant e-store can. To snag a copy, contact dragonseedpress@aol.com, or catch Mary at a signing in Cleveland in the next couple of weeks. She'll be at The Learned Owl in Hudson, at Fireside in Chagrin Falls, and B&N in Mentor. The times and dates are listed at GoCityKids - and while you're there, you can search for other local author events or just use my keystrokes here.

Cheers!