10 Picture Books I Would Unashamedly Read Now

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

How has your week been? I feel like it went by really fast. Anyway, today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday for the theme "My Top Ten ALL TIME Favorite Books of X Genre," and giving you my top ten favorite picture books that I would still read today. Yeah, I know, it's not really a genre, but I figured if I did something like historical fiction, you guys would go, "Ugh, Maddie, we've heard you rant about Moon Over Manifest, The Golden Thread, Out of the Dust, etc. like 1,000 times, do you really need to tell us again?" So I decided to be nice and a little bit creative (cause that's always a good thing) and I came up with this.

Tea with Milk

Okay, so I pretty much adore this book. I think my mom read it to me and my siblings for school when I was like 9 or 10. It's about a Japanese girl who is born in America and feels at home here, but is homesick when she moves back to Japan. It's really interesting learning about the cultural differences. When the time comes for her to marry, her parents hire a matchmaker. She gets upset and decides to find her way on her own, and I believe she meets a man who had the same life situation and they get married and it's a really awesome biracial book with awesome prose. We used to own it and now we don't and I'm still sad that we don't have it, and I'm planning on buying it for myself soon because I'm still a child at heart... Wait, scratch that. You don't have to still be a child to like this book. C.S. Lewis said, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." This is a good children's story, folks. As are all of the rest of the books on my list and you have to agree with me because my opinion is law. I'm going to buy this soon because it's a good book and you all can judge, but I don't care (and I don't think you would judge anyway). ;)

Love You Forever

Um, it's about loving your mom forever and moms loving their kids forever. What more could be said? I can still hear my mom's voice reading the words, and that just makes me really happy, but also kind of sad. I'll love my mommy forever. <3

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

So they made this into a movie a year or two ago, and it looks really cheesy and I'm upset. The book used to be one of my favorites when I was little. It's one of those that you can't remember a time when you first read it because your mom probably read it to you before you could remember (literally). It's a really cute book and I might consider buying this one, too, just because I think it would cheer me up when I'm having a bad day. It's funny because some of the things Alexander gets mad about are so trivial and silly, but if it were happening to me, I would probably not be having it either. So if you're having a bad day, reach for this book and I can pretty safely say you'll feel a little better after reading it.

The Berenstain Bears

Okay, I'm pretty sure I was still reading these when I was 12... yeah, yeah, I know. But these books have good lessons and the people er, bears in the stories actually take a while to come to conclusions. I mean the plot lasts longer than just two pages. Anyway, I guess I've pretty much always kept loving the things I loved in childhood, even if I had first read or watched it now I would not, you know what I mean? I mean I think I still love some things because I remember how much I used to love it when I was younger and I feel like it's a part of me and it's harder to tell myself I'm too old for it than to just keep liking it, even if it makes me look like a baby.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Look at that cover though. It's so super cute. It makes me really happy. It's about how a little mouse would become your friend if you gave him a cookie. That my friends is what I call adorable.

Fox In Sox

I'm not gonna lie, I first read this book like this year, I think. This is my one year old brother's favorite book, so if he was crying, I would be like, "Hey, Xav, do you want to read Fox In Sox?" and he would stop and be happy and go find the book and bring it to me and we would read it over and over, mostly through skipping around back and forth all around the pages. I would be reading it (which, if you don't know, is all tongue twisters) and he would just stop every once in a while and look at me and smile like everything that was coming out of my mouth was gibberish and he thought it was hilarious. So yeah, I love this book and I also need to get my own copy. By the way, I really miss my little brother right now.

Madeline

This is my name, of course this is gonna be on my list. Oh, it's actually pronounced differently, by the way. Mine is pronounced Madelyn and the character's is pronounced Madeline. I actually tried to get my parents to change the pronunciation when I was like 8 or 9 because I thought it would be cool. Idk, don't ask. But anyway, I had a lot of Madeline things when I was little. A Madeline barbie doll, a Christmas tree ornament, most of the books, a few of the TV show episodes, the movie... I think it's funny because Madeline the character is "the smallest one" and everyone is always commenting about how tiny I am. She also has a big scar from surgery and I do too. Aaaaanyway....

Blueberries for Sal

I actually don't remember much about this book, but I remember it is really adorable and since I don't remember it, that makes me want to find it and read it now.

Abel's Moon

This book is about a dad who travels and then tells his kids really awesome adventure stories. And then I think he builds them a secret fort thing where they can have their own adventures and pretend it's a spaceship or anything they want, and then when he comes home they can all tell each other stories. Basically, it's a book about a really awesome family who knows how to have fun.

Imagine a Night

I read this this year, I believe. The best thing about this book is the illustrations. If you look closely at the pictures, there are hidden people or faces, or the blanket on the bed looks like a field, etc. It's just really cool and creative.


So there it is, people! My favorite picture books of ever. Are any of yours on this list? Are you surprised that I actually came up with 10 books for a Top Ten Tuesday post this time? I hope you're having an awesome week!

Also, I have been changing a few little things on my blog, and I was wondering what you thought about the new look. Any suggestions?

Okay, peace out.

- Maddie

In Which I Dump My Recent Favorite Books On You (and also feels) + Books I've Marked DNF

Yes, yes, I know that I'm supposed to post my Monday's Minutes story today. But how could I pass up this topic for Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and the Bookish? Said topic is: "5 of my latest five star reads & five of my most disappointing or 1 star reads" (I'm doing books I Did Not Finish instead of 1 star reads). Come on, I had to do this!


Caution: Be prepared to get crushed by feels (of your own, or the author's, or both).

*** Books I recently gave 5 stars 

(aka some of my new favorites) ***

1) St Ignatius and the Company of Jesus by August Dereleth

Okay, can we just talk about the fact that I absolutely love St Ignatius of Loyola? Like, he's one of my favorite saints of ever. I think I've become a fangirl of his... but not in a weird way, I promise! 

I love Saint Ignatius because he completely changed his life. He used to be a proud soldier who was so tough that he didn't even cry out in pain when the DOCTORS WERE BREAKING HIS LEG WHILE HE WAS AWAKE SO THAT THEY COULD SET IT PROPERLY. He went from that, to being the humblest missionary priest who SOBBED SO MUCH DURING MASS THAT THE POPE HAD TO TELL HIM IT WAS BAD FOR HIS HEALTH IF HE CONTINUED TO SAY MASS EVERYDAY.

Another reason I love him so much is that even though he was humble, it didn't mean that he kept his gifts or insights to himself. He wrote what he called the Spiritual Exercises, and he was passionate about guiding people through them. He didn't keep them to himself and think, "Because I created these, I know that they can't be that good. I shouldn't share these with anyone because that would draw attention to myself." No. He could take all of the attention because he was humble and didn't let the fame get to him.

Do I want to become as holy as this man? Yes. Do I have the will and determination to do it? Not yet. But I hope that by God's grace I will someday.

So if you've never read about St Ignatius, I advise you to go do it now. I've read 4 books about him, and I learn something more every time.

2) May B.

Have I mentioned before that I love novels in verse? This book is about a 12 year old dyslexic girl from Kansas in the 1800's who is sent to help a neighbor who lives, like, 20 miles away (which was a whole lot in those days) for the summer until Christmas. I won't give anything away, but it was a sad book. I loved it, though. Besides, novels in verse are usually sad. Anyway, you should read it if poetry is your thing - in which case, tell me, cause we can be buddies. :)

3) St Joan the Girl Soldier by Louis de Wohl

Gahh, and St Joan of Arc is also one of my favorite saints! I had a hard time choosing either her or St Maria Goretti for my Confirmation Saint, but I ended up picking St. Maria Goretti.

So, St Joan had sass, okay? Like, these Chruch authorities were asking her questions about her Voices, and she shot back really funny/semi-insulting answers. Would you normally think of a saint doing that? No. But the Maid did.

And she also got this military commander who was infamous for swearing to GIVE UP CUSSING altogether. And then they ended up becoming super close friends. Seriously, just read any book about her, and then you tell me if you don't ship the friendship of Joan and La Hire!

*sighs* I love when I get overwhelmed with feels about the saints!

4) Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

Clare Vanderpool is just amazing, all right?

Navigating Early was an original way to explore the mind of a boy with autism in the 1940s - which was before anyone knew what it was. I loved how the author portrayed the sort of "out of contact with reality" side of Early's mind, but also the brilliance of it. As a cousin of two autistic children, I have experienced the ways in which they are different from other people, but also the ways in which they are smarter than others in particular areas. I really loved this book. It had an altogether mysterious air to it, which is also something I love in books.  

5) The Boy On the Porch by Sharon Creech

Okay, this is a book for, like, 3rd graders. Why would I like something written for that age target? For one thing, the language was so beautiful. It also fit so much into only a few words. The way in which the author crafted sentences together sounded much more meaningful in their brevity than if she had used as many words as most writers {insert nervous "yeah, that's me" chuckle} do to explain things. This book also had a mysterious air to it. I just really, really loved this book. <3

*** Books I Recently Marked Did Not Finish (please, don't judge me!) ***

1) The Milk of Birds

So, I checked this book out, renewed it, then turned it in and rechecked it out the same day. After all that, I finally started reading it, and... Hehehe. I still didn't ever finish it. Don't get me wrong, I actually thought it was a fine book. I just... I didn't really feel like finishing it. I had other things I wanted to read, and this book didn't interest me enough to finish before getting on to books that I really wanted to start. Fair? 

2) A Step Toward Falling

Okay, can I just say that I honestly didn't know what the point of this book even was? The synopsis didn't do that great of a job summing it up, and I still didn't feel like the book was getting anywhere after I read the first few chapters. So I stopped, because I felt like I was wasting my time. Plus, the characters were just... I didn't particularly like any of them. Or feel anything that they were feeling, I guess. So anyway, I only read a few chapters and will probably not pick it up to try again.

3) The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In a Ship of Her Own Making

So, this is probably the only book on this DNF list that I might consider trying again... Maybe. That's a strong maybe, actually, with an emphasis on the trying. I thought it was an interesting idea for this book, but I didn't really like its style. I don't know. I feel like the characters were sarcastic in a mean way that wasn't really funny to me. 

4) A Corner of White

This book sounds so enchanting, but I don't really know why I picked it up. I had read reviews by two bloggers I follow who both said that they felt this book was pointless. And they were lovers of YA novels. Why did I think that I would find it better when I am not easily impressed with much from this genre? I think it was mostly a feeling of, "Hey, they actually have a popular YA book that I recognize at my library! I guess that means I should check it out. How bad could it be?" (Plus, the cover was so pretty!) Anyway, I only read the first chapter. It wasn't really anything I read in the book that made me give up on it. I started reading it first, and that's when my logic kicked in. I realized that I shouldn't waste time on something I had already heard wasn't worth it. 

5) The Emperor of Anyplace by Tim Wynne-Jones

You know that feeling you get while reading a book that there is not going to be a really good lesson in the end? I felt this way while reading The Emperor of Anyplace. It was actually an interesting plot, and I was tempted to keep reading it. But I really like a meaningful story. If I'm just going to read for pleasure, I want it to be completely clean and light-hearted. And it's not that this book was terrible... I just... I don't know. I just couldn't finish it. I felt like I wouldn't have had that awe-filled, breathless feeling you get when you finish a really good book if I had finished it, you know? So I didn't.

***

Hmmm, you know what's funny, and what I'm just now noticing? It seems that my most recent 5 star ratings have been all children's books... and my recent Did Not Finish books are all... YA. Does this surprise you? I've told you before that I usually enjoy children's books more than I do Young Adult books. Believe me now?! I guess I love the innocent atmosphere of children's books - I don't have to worry about anything being inappropriate. Even if "mature" topics occur in Children's Fiction, they're usually glossed over, and I don't feel uncomfortable reading them. Or maybe I'm just still a kid at heart. I wouldn't mind that. ;)

So, what do you think about my opinions for each set? Do you love any of the books that I love? Hate them? Have mixed feelings? What about the books I didn't finish wading through? Did you finish them and love them? Do you have a reason why I should finish them? Tell me! I'd love to know these (and other bookish) thingies! Let's talk about all the feels!!!

Oh, and before you go: Did you get squished by my feels??? If you did, I'm sorry but not sorry. You were warned! ;)

- Maddie

Top Three Books On My Fall TBR

This is a thing called Top Ten Tuesday hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday, there will be a new book related topic. I'm not sure how often I will participate, but I liked this topic. I changed the number to three instead of ten, because I don't have much time to write this.

Also, sorry! I took a break from posting last week, because I wasn't getting much else done other than posting:p

So, anyway, here you go.

(Images found on Google)

3. Peter Pan

I love classics, and have never gotten around to reading this one. I know they have it at our library, and I might check it out the next chance I get.

2. Book of a Thousand Days

I saw this at the library the last time we were there, but I already had so many books to read that I didn't bring it home. Next time, however, I think I will.

1. Navigating Early

I just finished Moon Over Manifest, and I loved it. It was one of those books that I don't realize I love so much until the end. Anyway, I can't wait to read another book by Clare Vanderpool.

This post wasn't very long or interesting, but I felt like I needed to post today. 

I should have my MMC story done tomorrow, but that is not a promise, because Wednesdays are very busy for me:)

auf wiedersehen, darling

-Maddie