It was BIRTHDAY WEEKEND here at the Burns place. The boys turned eight and the girl turned five and Burns folk from far and wide descended to celebrate. Okay, there were only a few Burns folk. But they celebrated heartily … and lots of other cool folks came and helped out.
Here is a list of our (um, okay, THEIR) birthday books:
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE PREPOSTEROUS PLIGHT OF THE PURLPLE POTTY PEOPLE, by Dav Pilkey
Scholastic, 2006
This long-awaited eighth Captain Underpants epic novel has already received two thumbs up. I have been told I cannot read it until I finish books two through seven; it may never happen. (While the first epic novel in the series, THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS, was a hoot, I can only take so much potty talk and there are so many books and there is so little time…)
THE END, by Lemony Snicket
Illustrated by Brett Helquist
HarperCollins, 2006
This one cannot be picked up until its official publication date … Friday, October 13. But a copy has been reserved for the boys and they are thrilled. This is the thirteenth and final book in The Series of Unfortunate Events and, alas, here too I am behind; I have only read THE BAD BEGINNING. Series books just don’t have the appeal they did when I was a kid … another sure sign I am getting old.
LILLY’S BIG DAY, by Kevin Henkes
Now Kevin Henkes’ Lilly books are another story. They are not exactly a series, although there are several of them. And the mouseling Lilly reminds me so much of my daughter that I find her stories irresistible. (Can you say drama queen?) I have read all the Lilly books … about one thousand times each.
ADELE & SIMON, by Barbara McClintock
I adore Barbara McClintock’s illustration style. Although DAHLIA will always be my favorite, ADELE & SIMON is set in Paris and we were tickled to follow the title characters as they traipsed through the city we have so recently traipsed ourselves. And little Simon loses his coat and his books and his mittens and everything else he is carrying, which made for search-and-find fun on every page.
Birthdays, books, seventy degrees and sunshine in October … what else can you ask for in a weekend?