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For fans of Sorry to Bother You and The Wolf of Wall Street—a crackling, satirical debut novel about a young man given a shot at stardom as the lone Black salesman at a mysterious, cult-like, and wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems. “Askaripour closes the deal on the first page of this mesmerizing novel, executing a high wire act full of verve and dark, comic energy.”—Colson Whitehead, author of The Nickel Boys
Welcome to Read This Book, the newsletter where I recommend a book you should add to your TBR, STAT! I stan variety in all things, and my book recommendations will be no exception. These must-read books will span genres and age groups. There will be new releases, oldie but goldies from the backlist, and the classics you may have missed in high school. Oh my! If you’re ready to diversify your books, then LEGGO!!
I hope you’re reading this newsletter snuggled under a blanket with someone you love because it’s National Cuddle Day! Some of the coldest days of the year occur in January. Cuddling is not only a great way to stay warm, but there are health benefits associated with cuddling from the release of oxytocin. What better way to get a heavy dose of some of those feel good hormones than with a great big cuddle.
A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young by Michael Rosen, Illustrated by Chris Riddell
Curl up with this playful collection of 36 poems that invite children to celebrate sounds and the infinite possibilities of language. Their imaginations will go wild with these verses full of nonsense words and vivid illustrations featuring characters both big and small. These poems don’t just focus on cuddles, these poems explore various aspects of a child’s world, like expressing emotions and observing the world around them.
Before I share the reasons why you should add A Great Big Cuddle to your reading list, I must express disappointment in the lack of diversity in this book. It is beyond a shame that a children’s book published in 2015 has less than a handful of children of color and exponentially more animals. Despite that criticism, I did enjoy A Great Big Cuddle. It is full of silly and funny poems with accompanying illustrations that will certainly delight children. They might even make a few adult readers chuckle because I let out a few laughs myself.
One of the standout poems for me was Lunchtime with a child and an alligator (or crocodile because I can’t tell the difference) chomping down on corn on the cob. The other poem I really got a kick out of was Are You Listening? where a kid is chastising a T-Rex eating pasta. It’s hilarious, and my description does it no justice. Surprisingly, for a book called A Great Big Cuddle, there is only one poem about cuddling, and it’s also one of the shortest poems. Nevertheless, that shouldn’t keep you from reading A Great Big Cuddle because it’s still an excellent book to read cuddled up with your favorite tiny humans.
Until next time bookish friends,
Katisha
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