Hello friends, and happy Mother’s Day! In honor of the occasion, we read a favorite from our own library: Silly Wonderful You, written by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell. It’s an adorable celebration of moms and their little ones, and the joys, frustrations, and incomparable rewards of motherhood.

As narrator, a mother addresses her young toddler about how much life has changed since the little girl came to be. She notes that ever since there was her, the house was never so messy or LOUD! The mother could never have predicted just how many stuffed animals would move in with her daughter, or how wonderful her glitter-and-glue artworks would be. She never would have imagined the splashy baths or the sticky messes or the impromptu frolics in the park. And now that life has changed so drastically in the wake of her boisterous, joyful, aggravating, unique child? She simply wouldn’t want to imagine things any other way.

This is a classic love letter about mother and child, and it’s an absolutely lovely one. The text has an unusual cadence, using rhymes and onomatopoeia as emphasis rather than throughout, but it fits the theme of the somewhat chaotic nature of raising a toddler. Fans of McConnell’s comic strip Mutts will recognize his distinctive pen-and-ink drawings, and he draws each preposterous and precious moment with obvious fondness and care. The length is perfect, it’s one of JJ’s favorite bedtime stories, and it always warms my heart by the last page. A fabulous story for mommies and their little ones, and it’s absolutely Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: Our copy of this book was gifted to The Baby Bookworm by the author. This does not affect the impartiality of our review.)