You'd have to be a stone to read "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!" without laughing and crying. The clichs in this novel are deep-fat fried: not particularly nutritious, but entirely delicious. I don't have much experience with Flagg, but I know she is a rather celebrated writer who captures Southern flavor with a charm that is most effective. I've read a short story or two and know her style to be quietly ironic and wonderfully colorful. In this full length work, however, I kept wishing she would keep her day job.

And who couldn't fall in love with Dena's new mentor, Kingsly? His relationship with Dena reminds of the relationship between Arthur Abbott and Iris something in the movie, The Holiday.Fannie Flagg is the most shamelessly sentimental writer in America. She's also the most entertaining. For the Star Wars fans, this book describes the silly shenanigans of Darth Vader's kids Luke and Leia who refuse to go to sleep. Mo Willems makes some of the cutest and most helpful books for babies and toddlers who are questioning their uncertain worlds, learning to express their emotions and independence, and navigating complex social relationships.

This beautifully illustrated book takes your child on a journey through the wild to see how different creatures sleep. Except the owl!

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This silly tale about a shy hippopotamus who doesn't want to participate in fun activities, ends with the hippopotamus making a big splash! Another amazing Eric Carle production, but this time with the addition of hands-on interactions that guide a multisensory reading experience, with the sights and sounds of the farm. From ribbits to oinks, this book combines beautiful watercolor paintings with 30 fun sounds!

Fannie Flagg certainly does create entertainingly real characters and paints a charming portrait of life in small-town USA (in this case Elmwood Springs, Missouri) ...as well as in other parts of the world (San Francisco, Vienna, New York, etc.). But in the context of light-hearted prose, Ms. Flagg also makes important and powerful social commentary about subjects such as racism, media and fame as a whole. It's not giving too much away to say Dena eventually realizes how she wants to spend her life. The implications for American journalism are dark, but Flagg's romantic portrayal of the small town is characteristically captivating. This is a comic novel to welcome home with open arms.

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No doubt, each time we could always count on quirky characters, lots of laughs, a good energy, a strong sense of community… Beautiful artwork combined with an inspiring story about Susanne and her exploration of the natural world around her, this book guides children through a multi-sensory exploration of the natural world all around them. Present day - it’s the 1970’s. Dena is living in New York. She’s a successful-loved television star, but Dena isn’t sleeping well … problems are rising to the surface. (not that Dena thinks of herself as a loser-basket-case)…..but years of ‘not-looking’ at past earth-shattering issues were having repercussions. Baby signing can teach your baby to communicate basic needs with simple gestures, teaching baby and parents about the interactive nature of communication beyond the spoken word.