Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

This is one of Shern's favourite book. He often chooses this book for me to read it to him. He loves that this is a 'lift-the-flap' book.

In this book, a child writes to the zoo for a pet, the zoo sends a series of unsuitable pets, revealed behind the colourful flaps in the form of crates and packing cases.

For instance, behind this crate is an elephant. When Shern opens the flap and sees the elephant, he will point to it in glee as he sees a familiar animal he knows. And he also tries to tell me it is an elephant by stamping his feet like an elephant.
The elephant is too big, so it is inappropriate as a pet, so it was being sent back.

And behind this flap is a giraffe, which is too tall, which is inappropriate as a pet.

Then there is lion, camel, snake, etc which are all sent back for diffferent reasons, except the last one, which is perfect!
So which is the perfect animal for a pet?

A puppy of course!

I bought the 25 years anniversary edition. (I don't think I can go far wrong by purchasing books that are in print for 25 years!) The book I bought came in a box which has the puppy soft toy as well. The book is 16cm x 16 cm which is good for traveling and puppy is small, just perfect for toddlers. Shern likes the puppy which we call him 'dog-dog' and sometimes he will hug it while he walks about in the house.

I love this book simply because it is simple and highly interactive. Shern learns all kinds of animals from this book.
The flaps are strong and sturdy and not easily torn, good for toddlers who kinda yank the flaps at times. :)

photosource: google

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

This is one of the best memoirs I've ever read.
A stunning memoir, grippingly told by Jeannette Walls.

Review:
In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls tells her story of growing up in a dysfunctional family with two eccentric, irresponsible, nomadic parents. Rex Wall, the father, was an uneducated but an ingenious inventor and adventurer and could have done pretty well for himself and his family had he not been a hopeless alcoholic.
Her mum, Rose Mary was an artist to whom, art was her life and was placed top priority above everything else. She neglected domestic routine and the chores of motherhood: 'Why should I cook a meal that will be gone in an hour when I can do a painting that can last forever?'

The children were not being raised, they were raising themselves. Constantly moving about, they lived in degrading poverty, where they ate through trashcans for food in school and painted their skin so that the holes in their pants didn't show. They are used to doing the skedaddle in the middle of the night, with their parents telling them they are looking for another adventure, or in many cases running away from authorities.

They set up camp at night in the desert floor, or in an abandoned hovel and if lucky sleeps in cardboard boxes. When they finally moved to a house in Welsh, the house was dilapidated with no electricity, leaking roofs and wood stairs that would crumble any moment.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. She does not judge or complain and she is not angry, although she has all the right to be. She just retells the adventures she had been through, describing all the interesting people and incidents she could recall.

Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

If you have not read this book, this should be in your list. It's a highly recommended read.
I rate this book 9/10.

Next on my list is her other memoir 'Half Broke Horses'.

Bedtime Reading Cuddle

24 November 2010

I always look forward to our reading cuddle time at night, just before bedtime. It's the time when we would choose a book and we read together.
Actually, I am the one who reads aloud while Shern will be busy flipping the flaps or pointing to pictures he recognizes, such as animals, star, birds, fish, butterfly, etc.

Besides Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Shern has taken quite a liking on The Little Engine That Could, and Dear Zoo, and many others. (guess I should be doing a review on the books soon!)

It is the best time for us to cuddle, while Shern sits on my lap. Being such an active toddler, it is amazing that he can actually sit still enough to be enjoying books.
Sometimes, even is it is not bedtime yet, he would bring a book to me, asking to be read.

And while reading the books to him, I couldn't help but to smell his hair and snuggle up to him, hugging my baby close to me....

Book Review: The Longest Trip Home

Josh Grogan connected to a million readers with his debut bestseller Marley & Me. From there, Josh Grogan connected to me too through that book.

I myself was a little surprised that I loved reading Marley & Me. I am after all not a very dog-loving person. Well, not to say I dislike dogs. At best, I would say I like dogs, but I don't love them. I like playing with them. But I can't see myself owning a dog.
But I loved reading that book.

So when I saw this hardcover book The Longest Trip Home in Leo Bookstore selling at a bargain at only RM25.90, I grabbed it. And this book has served me well, brought me to tears or joy and laughter while reading it.

Like it's first book, The Longest Trip Home is also a memoir. It talks about his childhood spanning to adulthood. But this time, the connection thread is about his family's strong Catholicism faith.

Each story and chapter gives a setup, a buildup, a payoff and a punch line. Each cautionary tale describes how making a mistake taught Mr. Grogan a valuable lesson. And most of his lessons revolved around faith, loyalty, forgiveness and family values.

While reading all the stories of his life, I felt very connected to him. Mr. Grogan brought me into his story and I could really feel all his triumphs and his sadness. I smiled when he achieved victories and felt his sense of loss when he ran into troubles.

However, the book is still a light read which makes it a good bedtime read. While being a light read, I felt that I learn invaluable lessons from it.

I love this book way more than Mitch Albom's Tuesdays With Morrie.

All in all I rate this book 8/10. A definite must read.

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/books/21masl.html
http://bestsellers.about.com/od/memoirs/gr/longest_trip.htm

Asian Literature Addiction

After reading both of Khaled Hosseini's amazing books - The Kite Runner & A Splendid Thousand Suns, I am addicted to Asian Literature books now. Below are what I managed to get my hands on.

I read Anchee Min's Empress Orchid.
I read Adeline Yen Mah's Falling Leaves.
I read Jung C'hang's Wild Swans.
I read Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

I read all of these books in less than a month's time. See, I told you I am addicted.

I'm currently reading Lisa See's Peony In Love.
And I have a few more books waiting. I'm so happy.

The Kite Runner

rippleeffects.wordpress.com

After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, I took my mum's copy of The Kite Runner to our recent KL trip and I finished it there amidst all our shopping and touristy schedule. It was that good. I could not put it down although I already knew the storyline from the DVD I watched.

This book is so so so good. The movie is so so so bad. Please don't watch it. Read the book instead. I think the way Khaled Hosseini wrote The Kite Runner is even better than The Thousand Splendid Suns, although many critics say otherwise.

The simple language he used in this book makes it such an easy read, although the book is full of rich emotions. There are times when I had to put down the book for awhile and ponder on the meanings of its words. This book has its own unique and quiet way to reach out to the readers.

The story is based in Afghanistan, and talks mainly about father & son love, friendships, price of disloyalty and horrific realities of war. This book makes me smile and cry at the same time. What I like is that it builds up the characters in depth that you feel that you are part of them - wishing them good all the way. And of course, life is not a bed of roses in Afghanistan - far from it in fact.

I think this is a book for keeps. I am going to buy a brand new copy of this book and keep it in my collection so that I will have a copy that I can call MINE :)

Rating: 9/10

Source: http://www.curledup.com/kiterun.htm

A Thousand Splendid Suns

pic source: helendipity.wordpress.com

I watched the movie 'The Kite Runner' about 2 years ago. Even though it was a highly aclaimed movie, I found it boring because the show was so sloooooow. I nearly fell asleep just waiting the movie to end so that I would know the ending. It was that draggy!
So, I did not read the book.

But when I saw A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, another international bestseller of his on sale, I decided to give it a try since I did not watch any boring movie of this title! :P
And I was not disappointed. I am satisfied. Actually, more than satisfied with it.

It took me only 3 days to finish the book. This is really an achievement because usually it would take me weeks to finish a book nowadays!

I find the story straightforward, the writing beautiful in its simplicity and it certainly draws the reader (me!) into the lives of its characters.
The book focuses on mothers and daughters and friendships between women. This book starts off slowly and gains speed and emotional power as it slowly unfolds.

It talks about life in Afghanistan, the violent life of the characters, ending in deaths in the hands of the Taliban. It makes me realized how lucky I am to be born in Malaysia!
It talks about love, family, society, home, acceptance and hope. I find the novel so rich and dense and emotional that I could not put it down. That was why I finished the books in just 3 days!

I think it is a must-read for those who wants to know more of the lives of women in Afghanistan.
See if you feel as lucky as me to be born in Malaysia!

p/s-I think I am changing my mind and The Kite Runner is on my to-read-list!

Rating: 7/10

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com,
http://contemporarylit.about.com

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This is one of Shern's favourite book.

pic: wolfeyebrows.wordpress.com

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is writen by Eric Carle. The book contains 225 words and has large, colourful illustrations. It follows a caterpillar as it munches its way through a variety of edibles such as ice-cream, salami, watermelon, one slice of Swiss Cheese, and a lollipop before it finally pupates and emerges as a beautiful butterfly.

The story teaches counting to 5, the names of the days of the week, and about different types of food.

babble.com

This book was inspired by a hole puncher, thus there are die-cut pages illustrate the caterpillar holes on the things he ate.

Shern loves the colorful pictures that accompany the counting game story.
Shern also loves to turn the flaps of the different size pages and poke his fingers through the caterpilar holes.

Therefore, I am glad I bought the hard cover - the constant finger-poking through the holes is sure going to tear any soft cover pages. The one I bought even came with a CD of Eric Carle reading the book aloud.

I think as Shern grows, he would learn to appreciate this book even more. I'm waiting for the time he would really understand what each food means, how the caterpillar turns into a butterfly, etc.

Source: wikipedia.com

One Of My Favourite Places - Leo Bookstore

I've stumbled upon this litte bookstore haven about a month or so when I went to Island Plaza. I saw a banner just near the escalator that reads 'LeoBooks - making reading affordable'!

Leo Bookstore is located on the first floor in Island Plaza, tucked away at a corner which is not so visible if you are not really searching for the place. I am so glad when I saw that they sell English books, used and new.

The moment I stepped into that place, I was amazed. Although the place is small, the books are categorized and are being arranged in a neat manner. I don't have the headache I always get when I go to the Chowrasta Market second-hand bookstore, sweating like a pig and seeing the books not being arranged in order, making it difficult to search for titles.

In Leo Bookstore, I can browse to my heart's content, enjoying the aircond and the feel and smell of the books! :P
But the rows and rows of bookshelves make the place a little dim, thus making it a 'lil difficult to see the titles of the books if you go in the evening.

Let me tell you this: The used books in Leo Bookstore's price can match those in Chowrasta Market. Some are even cheaper.
Used books from famous authors such as Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon, Cecelia Ahern, just to name a few are going at RM3, RM5, RM8, RM12 and hard covers are about rm18.

I also bought many imported children's books, all hard covers at only RM5 - RM18.

So far, I have not bought any of their new bargain books. I'm more interested in the used books section! Hubby bought their new bargain books at about 30-40% cheaper than retail prices.

I know they are not as cheap as BookXcess in KL, nor they have their varieties, but this is the best Penang has got for now!

Oh ya, they have a website too which you can actually have the books delivered to you at a minimal delivery charge. But for now, only bargain new books avail I think. Used books are not listed at their website yet. Maybe soon.
So if you are interested in the used books (just like me!), then you need t drag your feet to their store to grab them.

Go check it out yourself!

Address :
Lot 1-25, First Floor, Island Plaza,
118 Jalan Tanjong Tokong, 10470 Penang.

Tel : 04-899 8911
Fax : 04-890 8912
Email : leobookstore@gmail.com
Website: http://leobookstore.com/

Operation hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Saturday : 11.00am - 9.00pm
Sunday : 12.00pm - 7.00pm

Goodnight Moon

pic: http://iamthebeholder.files.wordpress.com/

Goodnight Moon is a children's bedtime story book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd . It was first published in 1947. The content depicts the process of a child saying goodnight to everything around.

I have established reading Goodnight Moon to Shern as his bedtime routine.

At first, I thought I’d get tired of reading him the same story every night. I started reading to him when he was three months old. Reading to him was a struggle initially but now that his attention span is longer, he gets pretty excited and focuses on the book as well. Even though at times he grabs the book to take a bite, as long as he shows some interest, I continued reading it to him to reinforce the reading habit.

The funny thing is I’ve found that I love to read Goodnight Moon. I initially thought that I'll grow tired of it, but surprisingly, I didn't. Yes, every night the little bunny says goodnight to the same objects in his same green room in the same order.

The text is a poem, with simple words and gentle rhymes.

“Goodnight room.”
“Goodnight moon.”
“Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.”
“Goodnight light and the red balloon.”

“Goodnight stars.”
“Goodnight air.”
“Goodnight noises everywhere.”

I find that the book's text and illustrations are matched in a way that it is natural to point out the words and pictures to your child, and for them to do the same as they grow older I hope.

I, myself do not know why Shern is appealed to the book. Maybe it is the alternate pages between colours and black & white pages. Maybe it is the rhyme. Or maybe is because this book's colours are bold and simple, without colour shades.

Now that Shern is almost 9 months old, I still read this book to him almost every night. And now he can sit quietly on my lap (which is rare) while I read the book to him.

There is also a marvelous video I found in youtube on this book. Although the video is great, but the book itself does wonders. So, don't just show the video to your child. Show the child the book and the video.

Goodnight Moon Video - narrated by Susan Sarandon

Book Review: Kafka On The Shore

Grabbed this book about a month or two ago in Popular bookstore with the promotion '2nd @ 50%'. This is my first Haruki Murakami book.

Kafka On The Shore is not the kind of book which I normally read. I don't fancy fantasy novels (apart from Harry Potter series) but this book is kinda different from the normal mythical books I've read.

The story alternates between a fifteen-year old Kafka Tamura and an elderly man Mr. Nakata. Kafka Tamura runs away from his father and home, and also in search of his mother and sister. His quest begins as he seeks for answers to his past. Nakata wants to find the half of his own shadow that he lost when he was a young boy during World War II. A mysterious event left Nakata unable to read and 'empty' as he calls it.

Many parts of the story remains a blurry element of the novel. The mysterious event of the World War II. Human talking to a stone.
There are also unbelievable events taking place in this novel. Talking cats, fish raining from the sky, appearances by Johnny Walker and Colonel Sanders.

It is really quite a confusing read. The novel though a page-turner at times, but other times rather confusing.

I find the ending ambiguous but somehow this novel makes coherent sense in a way and is rather an interesting and pleasing read.

I still have another Haruki Murakami to read. Looking forward to it to see if the style is the same.

Rating: 6/10

My Pregnancy & Baby Care Bibles

These are the 2 books I can't live without.

What To Expect: WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING and What To Expect: THE FIRST YEAR

1. What To Expect: WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING - 4th Edition by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel - RM55.90 from Borders

- Although this book is an American book, it is still very useful.
- It is like having a personal gynae answering all your stupid questions mingling with your mind.
- A very organized book with easy-to-read format.


2. What To Expect: THE FIRST YEAR by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg & Sandee Hathaway - RM44.00 from MPH

- Also have the same organized with easy-to-read format.
- Up-to-Date information on baby care, in-depth coverage on various issues such as health checks, vaccines, allergies, etc.

These are the only 2 books I bought (besides some magazines). It is nice to be able to flip through this and I always learn something new.

These 2 books not only help me understand more, but it also gives down-to-earth and practical advice and also give me confidence on what I am doing is right!

Pregnancy & Baby Mags

Went to QB Mall to meet client and went over to Borders & Popular to shop for pregnancy & baby magazines.

Suddenly i have this urge to want to learn and know more on how to provide the best for my future bundle of joy. I want to be equipped with more knowledge so i grabbed at all the local mags i could find in the bookstore.

I did not buy those imported mags - they are expensive! Over rm20++ for each! I will just learn more 'thru the net!