What Can a Mess Make (Bee Johnson)

 

A lovely book for kids and mom's....especially to help us mom's remember that there is magic in the mess making.

Goodreads says:

In this gorgeously illustrated rhyming picture book, two sisters spend their day playing at home and leaving joyful, cozy messes in their wake.

Kitchen clatter.
Milk and juice.
Syrup splatter.
Chocolate mousse.
Bowl of berries―
Red and blue.
A mess can make a meal for two.

From a cozy breakfast together to crafts, fort-building, kitchen spills, and bedtime rituals, these sisters make tons of messes.

Imaginative, playful, forgiving, delicious messes.

And their messes make a day full of possibilities.

With bouncy rhyming language and warm illustrations, What Can A Mess Make? inspires readers to embrace their imaginations, linger in the beautiful messes on every page, and make some messes themselves.

Outer Order, Inner Calm (Gretchen Rubin)

I'm a big Gretchen Rubin fan. I've read The Happiness Project, The Four Tendencies and Better Than Before  (which I try to re-read about every six months). Since I enjoyed all of those so much, I pre-ordered this and was happy to get it as soon as it came out. I think it's definitely one to re-visit annually.

This one is different than the others. It's a quick read with a really narrow focus: lots of tips for organizing. One thing I love about Gretchen Rubin is that she doesn't get stuck on one way to do things. I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and didn't love it because she was too prescriptive with one right way to de-clutter and organize. Gretchen Rubin recognizes that there are a lot of good ways to accomplish the same thing. I especially connected with the section on the importance of the words we use (instead of apologizing for being late, thank people for waiting....instead of mindlessly wandering, explore and so on). She had some good tips. I read it while we were driving on a family trip and found myself anxiously looking forward to getting home to implement some of the strategies.



Goodreads says:

Bestselling author of The Four Tendencies and The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin illuminates one of her key realizations about happiness: For most of us, outer order contributes to inner calm. In a new book packed with more than one hundred concrete ideas, she helps us create the order and organization that can make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. 

In the context of a happy life, a messy desk or crowded coat closet is a trivial problem–yet Gretchen Rubin has found that getting control of the stuff of life makes us feel more in control of our lives generally. By getting rid of things we don’t use, don’t need, or don’t love, as well as things that don’t work, don’t fit, or don’t suit, we free our mind (and our shelves) for what we truly value. 

In this trim book filled with insights, strategies, and sometimes surprising tips, Gretchen tackles the key challenges of creating outer order, by explaining how to “Make Choices,” “Create Order,” “Know Yourself–and Others,” “Cultivate Helpful Habits,” and, of course, “Add Beauty.” 

When we get our possessions under control, we feel both calmer and more energetic. With a sense of humor, and also a clear sense of what’s realistic for most people, Gretchen suggests dozens of manageable steps for creating a more serene, orderly environment–one that helps us to create the lives we yearn for.

Coyote's New Suit (Thomas King)

This story is long, but really fun. Kids with the ability to listen to a long story will love it. There's lots of silliness (animals taking off their "suits") and trickery on the part of Raven. Coyote, who is often in the family of sly foxes, isn't sly. He's not that bright. He is greedy and starts taking off with all the animals suits.


Goodreads summary:

Coyote’s mighty pleased with his soft, brown suit — until Raven slyly hints it’s not the finest in the forest. Now, Coyote is obsessed: Bear’s suit is much more impressive. Porcupine — sporty! Raccoon is chic, while Skunk’s suit is perfectly elegant. Perhaps he could just borrow the suits? The missing suits send the forest into an uproar. How can naughty Coyote make amends? 

Anna Banana and the Chocolate Explosion

We probably should have read book one first. I assume you get introduced to the character and all her little animals in the first book. We were a little lost. Still though, the story was cute and we loved the explosions! One of her stuffies wants to cook on his own, but it turns out he's buying his finished product at a bakery. Good potential for honesty discussion. Is it really dishonest to trick someone?

Goodreads summary:

Anna Banana is at it again!

The lovable tyrant from Sleep Tight, Anna Banana! is up to no good, and so are all of her beloved stuffed animals. In this adorable sequel to the 2014 picture book, Anna Banana and her stuffed pals set out to make a chocolate cake...and end up making a big, big, big mess.

With all the charm and whimsy that won reader's hearts in the first book of the series, Anna Banana and the Chocolate Explosionwill give Anna Banana's fans more of what they love...and win over new readers.