Double Picture Book Review: Wild and Part-time Princess

Since I've been away so long, I thought I'd kick my return off with a DOUBLE picture book review!

Two of my favorite picture books that I bought recently are Wild by Emily Hughes and Part-time Princess, written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cambria Evans. The subjects couldn't be further apart, but both are empowering and joyous stories for little ones to read again and again.

Emily Hughes has a blog FULL of amazing work, and her website has this fabulous illustrated story you can NOT miss. I just can't wait to see what she makes next.

Wild is lush and decorative and beautifully designed from cover to cover. The story of a little wild girl who (briefly) returns to civilization packs a strong punch. How often do you see a green haired, sharp toothed little girl as a main character? I won't say more. Just go read it.

Part-time Princess is the FIRST princess book I purchased. My daughter became pink and princess obsessed at about 2.5yo. Rather than ban all princess items out of my own concerns, I was lucky enough to find this lovely book about a brave, fierce princess who enjoys getting dressed up AND getting muddy.

 There are lots of details to surprise you on re-reads and this spread in the tub is catches me every time for it's bold composition and humor. My son just pointed out that the bubbles on her head form a crown, so smart! Cambria Evans also has a wonderful blog, even if it's no longer active - still fun to pore over.

What We're Reading

Thankfully, I've been able to return to the library more often lately, so our book shelf is getting some good rotations again. Here's what makes our stacks lately:
Babybug and High Five magazines: Awesome content, and good for those short-attention-span moments. A 2 year old has so many of those. The bonus to the High Five was watching my boy slam-dunk his way through hidden pictures. I even have a hard time with those. Ah, to have young eyes again. But it also made me think about submitting one, as a 'smaller' project I could handle.

Max and Ruby books, Rosemary Wells: I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of this series. But I'm not the reader. It's another case of a TV show inspiring a trip to the library, and for that I'm buying into it.

The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein: We're going to have to try this one again when my son is older. He seemed a little TOO effected by it. It really is a sad, albeit moving, story.

The Loud Book. Deborah Underwood, ill. by Renata Liwska: How could you NOT love this book. It's gorgeous, layered, and perfect for adding sound effects. It's good for many, many reads.

Oh, and here's my progress on my little painting from a few weeks back. Yes, it's THAT slow around here!