Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I was absolutely going to review another book on Friday, but that got swallowed up in the last minute “what do we wear for the family picture” confusion, and then we were staying with one of my hubby’s sisters overnight so that we could be in said picture and then head out for the family Amazing Race afterwards.  If you’ve never had such an event, by the way, I highly recommend it–although it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a better job than the sister- and brother-in-law who plan ours. (It’s actually another one of my hubby’s sisters and her husband.  Now I wish I’d asked their permission to use real names on here, because he’s got four sisters altogether, and getting the plurals and pronouns right–or at least clear–is giving me fits at the moment!)  I wish I had the time and energy to give you a full rundown, but since both of those are lacking, I’ll content myself with applauding the winning team, which included my oldest.  My team was third, my hubby’s was sixth, and it was both a fun and a very full day.

Anyway.  While we’re on the topic of fun things, you should really grab the The 3-2-3 Detective Agency:  The Disappearance of Dave Warthog for your elementary schoolers.  I put it on hold because my kids really liked a picture book by the same author, and while the writing is not as clever and fabulous as it could possibly be, the plot is hysterical and the illustrations complement it nicely.  Have you ever wondered what would happen if a hyperactive sloth, an insignificant rat, an aspiring actress/penguin, and a dung beetle/gourmet chef met each other and a donkey detective-to-be on a train?  Well, my friends, wonder no more.  Jenny Donkey convinces the others to join her at her new detective agency offices, where they begin investigating the disappearance of animals from all over Whiska City.  Their investigations lead them to a hair salon, a gated poodle community, and a great deal of cotton candy–all in the course of a 74-page graphic novel.  It flirts with a bit of bathroom humor in one spot but doesn’t fully commit, and the rest of it is just bizarrely funny.  Give it a try, because your kids are going to laugh–and so are you!