Book Review: Isabella Babysits Baxter

I'd like to introduce you to a great new book! I received a free copy (pdf version) for the purpose of reading and writing an honest review. So here are my thoughts, ready or not...

Isabella Babysits Baxter

Quick Overview: When Isabella's energetic pup gets into trouble, Isabella's mom asks her to babysit Baxter while Mom wraps up her work. Isabella is delighted! She soon learns though that babysitting isn't exactly all fun and games, especially when your charge has four legs and boundless energy. But she and Baxter make a great team, and even learn a few things along the way.

This story is a fun read for just about any kid, but especially a youngest child. Imaginative and fun, but relatable with activities young children really would come up with if they were in charge for an afternoon.

The pictures are great in their simplicity, but excellent attention to detail with the kind of things my daughter notices, like Isabella's laces on the page where she is dancing, and plenty of pink and purple throughout, especially the paw prints. As a mom of an autistic child, we draw attention to facial expressions in just about everything we read in order to help her make the connections to emotions, and the variety of expressions in this book are clear, wonderful, and realistic.

I personally was hoping the mom would find them napping, wiped out from their adventures and surrounded by their favorite stories, but that's probably just my own fantasy of having a three year old that actually naps trying to live vicariously through fiction.

Really, a super cute story. Definitely one I can recommend adding to your reading list. And I hope we get to join Isabella and Baxter on another adventure soon!

Comments

Le Petite Chef: Mud Pie

Here it is, as promised, Grace's Mud Pie recipe! She did all the work, I helped explain terms and measurements, stirred at the very end to make sure everything was evenly coated (at her request), and helped hold the pot. She let one of her friends spread the Nutella and add the "dirt" to one of the pies while she did the other. This is a very kid friendly recipe, I highly recommend it for ages 8 and up! The original recipe is in the book The Cooking Book, by Jane Bull. But we modified it just a bit. Here are our supplies: 3/4 c butter 1 tbsp cocoa powder 1/2 c sugar 1 c graham cracker crumbs 1/2 c dried fruit 1 chocolate bar (we used Nutella spread instead) We added: Heath chocolate and toffee bits Black Sixletts (found in the party aisle) These are the original measurements, we doubled the recipe though. Step 1: Crush graham crackers. We used a gallon size zipper bag and a coffee mug (I don't own ...

Preschool at Home! Chalkboard Painting

Here is another treasure from the backfiles. This started as an act of desperation on my part, I just needed her to be occupied so I could finish something, but it quickly became one of her favorite activities. If you have a chalkboard (we made ours on a half wall with chalkboard paint), all you need is a paintbrush, sponge, or washcloth, and a cup of water. Dip the brush in the water and have at it! Kit LOVES how the water turns the board black. So often, she will be at this so long that by the time she gets across the board, the first area she painted will be dry and a fresh pallet once again. You can get creative with the things you use as paintbrushes, but she has been completely happy with our basic art brushes from Walmart. I love watching her do this.

Saying Goodbye

For the entire month of August, I just didn't let myself think about it beyond the facts. For the last two weeks, I just focused on anything else that took my mind off of it. Over the weekend I was busy getting things ready, so I was too busy to think about it. Tuesday came. Miss V came. It was a good visit, with laughing and smiling, and questions asked and answered, and Kit played with her, and smiled and made us laugh like usual. But it was different, and we felt it. I didn't let myself go there, because I didn't want to break down, not that it would have been the first time in front of her (nor the second, or third, or even fourth probably.) And then it was time for her to go, and we took some pictures, and all the kids hugged her, and I held Kit on my shoulder on the steps so she could wave goodbye until Miss V is out of sight like she has every week for at least five months. And then we closed the door, and Kit went on with business as usual, beca...

hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

Search This Blog