New "Book Report" Segment!

I have always loved to read. I cherish the memories of sitting next to my mom while she read to me and my siblings. I remember reading books by the glow of the night light when I was supposed to be sleeping... I also remember getting caught and being in trouble for doing so. Books are an escape when I need a quiet moment in my life or a way to pass a lonely evening when everyone else seems to be busy. There are funny stories and ones that make me cry, books that always bring a smile and ones that aren't worth reading again, passages to be shared and others to be kept close to the heart in hard times.

With this in mind, I've decided to do a semi-regular segment reporting on books I read as a young person... Yes, children's books. You may be asking, "Why books for children? Surely you read good books now."

Well, I feel that I've never really "graduated" to adult books. Oh, sure, I read books with chapters now but I often get them from the young adult, teen and sometimes even the children's section. (Harry Potter is for adults, too!) Not to mention the fact that I've always enjoyed reading aloud and most of my reading to others has centered around me reading to small children. Basically, I have fond memories- and sometimes strange memories- of these stories and I will now share them with you. :) With no further ado, I present my first "book report" on Is Your Mama A Llama? By Deborah Guarino, Illustrated by Steven Kellogg.

" Is your mama a llama," I asked my friend Dave.
"No she is not," is the answer Dave gave. "She hangs by her feet and she lives in a cave. I don't believe that's the way llamas behave."
"No," I agreed, "You are right about that. I think your mama must be a bat!"

Maybe it's the rhyming, maybe it's just the many, many times I read this book to my younger siblings and Sabre, but I can quote a good portion of this book by heart. Maybe I don't get all the words quite right, but it'd be close enough that no small child would notice. :) The premise is very simple: A young llama goes to all of his friends and asks if their mama is a llama. Each replies with a description of their mother to explain why she is not a llama until he reaches his friend who is also a llama and asks her. At that point she comfirms that her mother is a llama and that his mother is a llama, too.

This is a book I plan to own when I have children. It lends itself wonderfully to reading out loud and also has classic Steven Kellogg pictures to keep a child's attention. Also, there aren't a lot of words on each page so over-eager listeners don't have to stare at one picture too long. I highly recommend you pick this book up at the library the next time you make a trip there... Seriously, pick it up and read through it even if you don't have any kids.