Book Review: "Goldie and the Three Hares"

Our current favorite book is "Goldie and the Three Hares" by Margie-Palatini, illustrated by Jack E. Davis.

The book tells the story of what happens to Goldilocks after the three bears chase her out of their home. It's silly and lots of fun.

In our house, Goldie (or "you know who" as she's known in the book) gets an obnoxious voice. She's pretty obnoxious so I think it works. Plus, it seems to add to Milo's enjoyment of the book. I think you really do have to be willing to put on voices when reading this book to a youngster.

Milo's favorite line from the book: THUMP. BUMP. KABOOM. KABOOM. KABOOM! (Which much be read in an increasingly loud voice.)

The illustrations are bright and goofy and a bit over-the-top -- in a good way, adding to the silliness of the story.

The rabbits have to figure out how to get this "big little girl" to leave their tiny rabbit hole and quickly. If they don't she may eat them out of house and home. And Little Baby Hare may be a permanent TV antenna.

There's not much of a lesson in this book - except how not to act as a guest in other people's homes - but it is a lot of fun for story time. We have read it numerous times since we checked it out from the library a couple weeks ago. Neither one of us are tired of it yet.

Mommy Time Movie Review

Because I don't really get out to the movies much, I watch a lot of Netflix. And because I have a 2-year-old, I don't watch a lot of grown-up movies. But last night I watched "The Switch," starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston.

I hate to admit that I really kind of liked it. Nevermind that it's a romantic comedy and we're supposed to hate those. Nevermind that it only gets a 5.9 rating on IMDb and a "rotten" 51% on RottenTomatoes.com. Nevermind that I feel like Jennifer Aniston is always reprising her role as Rachel from "Friends." She's pretty and relatable, and I also kind of feel like we'd actually be friends. Nevermind that Jason Bateman's character is a bit of a neurotic jerk. We all know we'd choose him over the other guy. (At least those of us of a certain age, anyway.)

Nevermind that the story -- while "based on" a short story by Jeffery Eugenides, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Middlesex" -- is silly and ultimately predictable. What romantic comedy isn't?

Nevermind all that. The little boy in the movie really is a mini version of Jason Bateman and is Adorable (yes, with a capital A). The story might be silly and predictable, but it's also sweet and cute. This isn't a great film. It certainly didn't win any awards. And I don't recommend it for the truly cynical. But for light-hearted fun that doesn't tax your brain or make you worry about the economy or war, this is a good movie.

It's guilty pleasure fare for sure. You might want to watch it alone some place no one will see you watching. Pair it with some dark chocolate, red wine and your most comfy jammies, and you've got some good old fashioned Mommy Time for yourself.

It's streaming on Netflix, so you don't even have to leave your house. No one has to know you liked a bad romantic comedy. Unless you blog about it, of course.