April 27, 2017

A few months ago, I wrote a blog piece about my mom and her amazing abilities. Well, among those abilities is, apparently, an infant-decoding capacity. Here is her translation of the first book review from my five-month-old niece, Maya, on whose date of birth I started this blog. I have to admit I’m pretty pumped that my niece is already a bibliophile!

Dear Uncle Matt,

Now that I’m a big girl, five months old, I have my first favorite book, Dr. Seuss’s ABC, and I thought you’d like to hear my review of it (with a little help from Grammie.) 

I think Dr. Seuss’s medicine is a concoction of words that magically stimulates my imagination and soothes my frets and whines. I haven’t met Aunt Annie yet, but I do want a ride on her alligator. And when I’m sitting on Grammie’s knee, there’s nothing better than bouncing to “Four fluffy feathers on a Fiffer-feffer-feff.” How does Dr. Seuss know that when I’m tired, I feel like a turtle slouching on a tuttle tuttle tree?

I love the feel of the pages in my hands–and mouth–and I can turn them in any order and still get the rhythm of “BIG __ little __, what begins with __?” Every night I snuggle up to a Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz and gently fall asleep. That makes my Mommy and Daddy happy. So even if you are a big and older person, I say read Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book. You’ll be amazed just like me! 

Love,

Your niece, Maya Lou

There you have it, the first guest book review I’ve posted here–from a combo of readers, aged 0 and 70. Makes me think I should work a little Dr. Seuss into my usual mix of Tolstoy, Roth, Orwell, and the like.  🙂