How do you know you have book burnout? (Yes, it is possible.) You look at two great potential books and ask yourself, “Didn’t I read this before?” And realize, no you did not, but you have read books like them. Fortunately feel good books are out there, but they seem to be saturating the market right now. Maybe they have always been there, and I have been out of the loop, but just seems there are a lot of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” out there.
Jennifer Adams took the famous Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet 43″ and reimaged it in How Do I Love Thee? It is a fun poem that can be a read-aloud for most ages. It can be a baby shower gift, a first birthday or a baptismal gift. Christopher Silas Neal’s illustrations are delightful, simple, silly and a story within themselves. Text and art blend together. Browning’s poem does grace the back of the book along with why she wrote it.
Then we have I’ll Love You Till the Cows Come Home … And yaks, sheep, whales and practically anything you can think of. There is “too much” going on and the repetition was the perfect thing to cure my insomnia. However, the child should adore this. If it was a large-lap-sized board book it would be the perfect format as I did not like the traditional hardcover size for the tale Kathryn Cristaldi has created. Also, I am sorry to say Kristyna Litten’s illustrations and I are not finding common ground.
Both books will have a home. They are good books. Sadly, my home will probably be the only home that will not have them within.
