The Blue Fairy's Bookshelf

The Lightning-Struck Heart T. J. Klune, 2015 Premise: A magician's apprentice balances his growing power with his ridiculously huge crush on the captain of the guard. I read this book on a friend's recommendation, and if I hadn't, I might have quit halfway through the first chapter. As it was I did finish reading the book, and I did somewhat enjoy it by the end, but it's really not my thing overall. Mostly, the humor is really not my style. I hesitate to call it unrealistic because it is the way that, in my experience, some flamboyant gay men speak to each other. Specifically, the dialogue is often almost entirely composed of superficially cruel teasing, sexual innuendo, and extremely graphic sexual humor. I found this especially distracting because it wasn't just a characteristic of the main character and his friends, but nearly all characters at one time (or at most times) spoke this way. This included the main character's parents, politicians, villai...

I registered a few mild complaints last week  (don't misunderstand, I still like all those books), but I also wanted to give a shout out to some other board books that I think are especially impressive in unexpected ways. I Love My Bunny The story of this book is very simple - Anna and her toy bunny have a tea party. However, the interactive bits on each page are very effective. The fluffy bunny tail was an obvious source of fascination, and a flap that's easy for my little one to work meant that this book became an early favorite. There's a scratch-and-sniff panel that hasn't come up yet, but the sparkles on another page and the soft blanket on the last page are also lots of fun. (Side note: This is part of a series, but I was less impressed with I Love My Puppy, the other one I tried.) Usborne Very First 1 2 3 I know, it's a counting book (up to five), like a hundred other counting books. That's what I thought at first, too. On second look, t...

Some quick thoughts, because I haven't been reading too many full-length adult novels recently. I have been reading many, many board books. Most of these are fine. Some of them are great. However, I do have a handful of small criticisms I would like to lodge.   Never Touch a Dragon This book is a hit with my nine-month-old. The bright colors and especially the textures on the cover and on every page make it excellent baby bait. I have two small criticisms though. The fonts are so whimsical that I think it'll be hard for her to read as she gets older. And the first page. The first page is different from every other page in that the part of the dragon described in the poem on this page is not the part with the texture, plus the poem on this page does not rhyme properly. Disappointing. Dear Zoo Lift-the-flap books are very popular with my little one so you'd think this would be a hit. However, these particular flaps are a little hard for her at this age....