Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston

Today I thought I'd write about a book I reviewed for The Literate Mother a few months ago.  I fell in love with this book.  Yup, love.  I'll tell you why.

This book is written all in rhyme.  Can you imagine thinking up a whole 284 page book of rhyme?  Holy Cow. (do people say that anymore?!)  Here is the opening lines of Zorgamazoo.

"Here is a story that's stranger than strange.  Before we begin you may want to arrange:
a blanket,
a cushion,
a comfortable seat,
and maybe some cocoa and something eat."

Okay, so first reason I love Zorgamazoo is the rhyme.  It begs to be read aloud.  To yourself, your kid, your dog, whoever.  The second reason I love this book is the pictures.  Very fun.  They really gave me a great idea of the characters and they made me smile.

The third reason (you might be wondering at this point how many reasons I have, but I'm almost done.  Really.) I love this book are the words.  Some words are written to look what they mean.  For example, the word flame has flames coming out all around it.  The word smash looks smashed.  There are words throughout the whole book like this.  I'm telling you, it's the small things that entertain.

This book is a good for the whole family kind of book.  It is a fun adventure with Katrina Katrell and Morty the Zorgle on a quest to find the missing Zorgles of Zorgamazoo.  Katrina is daring and bold, full of zeal for life and adventure.  Morty is quiet and cautious.  Together they make quite a team.  If you want to read my full review for content, you can see it at http://www.theliteratemother.org/zorgamazoo

Alienology

Have you ever seen kids fight over a book?  I mean, fight to actually read it?  Like yelling and grabbing and running away to hide with the book kind of fighting?  There might have even been some pinching in there too.  I have to say I secretly felt a bit giddy over this fighting.  Fighting over a book?  Really?  That's awesome!

The nice people at Candlewick Press sent this book over to review.  You can read my full review for content on The Literate Mother.  http://www.theliteratemother.org.  Here, I will just tell you that we loved this book at our house.  After the fighting, that is.  Each of my kids looked through it and then at the dinner table we all looked through it together.  We laughed and talked and had a great time.  Those are the moments that make life great, I think.  A book that can do that should be labeled "fantabulous"!


Alienology is just fun.  There are fun pictures, flaps to lift, stories to read and secrets to be found.  We learned the universal gestures for aliens and are now ready to communicate.  Well, at least to say hello, thank you and goodbye.  Which my husband says is all we really need to say.  And quickly.  We learned about alien brains and the evolution of eyeballs.  There were things to touch, but be careful of the S.L.I.M.E!  (Surface-Living Intelligent Multiplying Endolith) It will consume you in order to grow!  Luckily, I was one of the few humans immune to it.  There are charts to compare different species of aliens, and it tells you which are friendly and which are not. Very important.  Do you want to know how big they are?  How long they live?  Where they live?  It's all in this book.  As my kids would say, "It's awesome!"

This would make a great Christmas present for girls and boys alike.  My girls loved it just as much as my boy.  Okay, I really liked it too.  :)

Getting Started

For some reason, blogging has sounded so intimidating to me!  I've been dragging my feet, watching, wanting but just not doing.  Finally, I feel as though I've arrived.  Well, maybe I've got one foot out the door anyway.  My blog will be mostly dedicated to books and reading.  It's what I love.  It's a heritage, this love for reading.  One I am happily passing on to my kids.  There isn't many things better than finding a fantastic, love at first read kind of book and being able to share it.  Here I want to share what I'm reading and if it's love or not.  Welcome to my world.