Author Annette Simon very kindly sent me two picture books about a month ago, one that she wrote and designed and another that was written by her son Jack when he was five years old. The first book is called Mocking Birdies, and it’s about that annoying little game that all kids play at one time or another:
“Mom, he’s copying me! Make him quit!”
“Mom, he’s copying me! Make him quit!”

In fact, Z-baby and Bee Girl were playing this very game just last night. I pulled out Ms. Simon’s book and read it to them. Soon they were laughing at the redbird and the bluebird who were copying each other, and they had forgotten to purposely annoy one another. So there’s one use for this picture book.

However, I don’t mean to imply that the book is only useful as a distraction. It’s an easy-to-read book, a cute story, sort of poetic, and even has a moral and a not-so-scary villain. I say this as a compliment and a warning: this book might be the sort of book that you are required to read over and over again and again by insistent urchins who are diligently trying to avoid bedtime. If so, enjoy. If so, enjoy.

The second book that Ms. Simon graciously shared with me was told to Ms. Simon, mostly at bedtime, by her then five year old son, Jack, after the death of his little sister, Libby. It’s called “This Book Is For All Kids, But Especially My Sister Libby. Libby Died.” I might quibble with some of Jack’s theology (nothing I know in Scripture indicates that people turn into angels when they die), but his articulate expression of the questions that children ask when a family member dies is both eloquent and honest. Jack has some sad questions (How much do you miss us?) and some silly questions (wouldn’t it be funny if you had wings coming out of your eyeballs?) and some rather profound questions (now you know what God looks like?).
I read this one to Z-baby who is four years old, and to tell you the truth, she didn’t get it. But she’s really had very little experience with death, not even the death of a pet. However, I think when that experience comes, as it surely will, we’ll get out this book with the long title and read it together.

Mrs. Simon lives in Florida with her family, but she used to live in Austin so I consider her a displaced Texan. And books by Texas authors are the best, right?

Here are links to a few othe reviews of Ms. Simon’s books:
From Cynsations by Cynthia Leitich Smith.
From Jen Robinson’s Book Page.
From Camille at Book Moot.