Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I read Two for Joy on the treadmill at the recommendation of my friend Britt, who thought my second girlie might like it.  (It’s emotionally complex, which–as weird as it sounds–is just exactly her thing.)  At just under 90 pages, it’s really more of a novella, but then, that’s about the perfect length for my very young going-into-second-grade-r.  (How young, you ask?  The first day of school is on her birthday this year.)  It’s a sweet and thoughtful little story about a latter elementary schooler (at a guess) and her divorced mother who convince their fiercely independent Aunt Tannie to move in with them after her latest fall.  There are difficulties adjusting at first, and the author doesn’t gloss over them, but eventually love and plain speaking put them on the right track.  The text did occasionally fall a bit short of where I wanted it to be–in small ways, nothing major–but the illustrations contributed meaningfully to the story.  Bottom line?  It’s well worth the amount of time it takes to read this one.