Those Quick Book Reviews I Promised

Remember way back when, I told you we were going to have some quick book reviews for you. Well, these aren't necessarily quick, but here they are:

• Melody, our director, told me one of the best books she's read (and you can get the audio version als0) is Letters for Emily by Camron Wright. This book is for women and men! It was written by a man whose grandfather's poems inspired the book. The story opens in the final stages of Harry Whitney's life. Not only is he dying, he's losing his mind. With Alzheimer's disease looming, he decides to compile a book of his own poems as a final gift for Emily, his favorite granddaughter. When the family discovers the book, they also discover secrets hidden in each poem; secrets about Harry's past. And they not only discover important things about Harry, but themselves. It's a story that celebrates goodness, hope, love and life.
• Then Norma, our children's librarian, told me about Pirates Don't Change Diapers. When the pirate crew turns up at Jeremy Jacob's house and accidently wakes his baby sister, that wee scallywag howls louder than a storm on the high seas. Sure, there's buried treasure to be found, but nobody's digging up anything until Bonney Anne quits her caterwauling. So, quicker than you can say "scurvy dog," Braid Beard and his swashbuckling pirates become. . .babysitters? A hand-in-hand book with this one is How I Became A Pirate, same author and illustrator.
• And, of course, most people have heard about that darling little baby hippo that survived the 2004 tsunami and made the giant tortoise its mother. It's like a National Geographic moment! Now there's a book about him titled A Mama for Owen. When the tsunami washed Owen's world away and the rain stopped, Owen befriends Mzee, a grayish-brown tortoise, who he plays with, snuggles with, and decides might turn out to be his best friend and brand-new mama. It's a heartwarming true tale of healing, adoption, and rebirth with splendid illustrations and oodles of love.

The books are here at the library. . .just takes a library card to check them out.