Susan Patterson (1)

It was fun to listen to this book just before Mother's Day on May 14, 2023. Authors nicely contrast the characters of Dr. Liz and her grown-up daughter Laurie and as a result - some of their interactions are hysterical. The twist at the end of the book turns this special mother-daughter trip into a very unusual journey for Laurie.

Although many daughters might want to read this book, I highly recommend it to mothers, too - both need to share more real journeys, laughter, and stories before it is too late.

I wish some of the settings were not so stereotypical - honey moon in Paris and nice guy with a British accent in the hotel bar:)

… (mais)

This is a realistic account of a potential mother / daughter delicate relationship. They are good times, tense times, and frank discussions. The two adult women take a trip to France and Norway after the mother suffers a heart attack.
However, the entire trip is a series of discussions and back and forth between mother and daughter. Expectations and disappointments, stories of past loves and hopes for the future.
The ending was a bit of a surprise, but really beautiful. It made perfect sense to me.
Very enjoyable.… (mais)

Believe it or not, non-fiction books actually work well. Quite well actually. I use them in storytimes primarily with Kindergarten. Some kids like learning facts more than a fictional story. One doesn't need to worry about reading a non-fiction cover to cover (I rarely do)--pull out some of your favorite animals or pages or whatever your criteria is and do those!

"Cuddly Critters for Little Geniuses" has a lot of unique animals in it. For instance, I have never heard of a Potoo before. However, the illustrations are more animated in nature. They are engaging, yes, but sloths aren't purple. Kids prefer to see actual representation of an animal. For this reason, I gave the book a lower rating.

I was planning on using this book in a storytime. But I found others I did like better.… (mais)

Some books stay poignantly with you long after you read the last page and Things I Wish I Told My Mother was one of those for me. The authors have crafted a compelling book that I binged in one reading. The book moves quickly and is very interesting to its memorable end. The mother and daughter talk, experience, love, argue, share, enjoy, dread and treasure special moments - or do they? A treasure for parents and children to read…

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the opportunity to read this engaging ARC.… (mais)