Dads on Books

Mike Walker (00:03.47)
Okay, intro, intro, intro.

Dads on books, we love books, our girls love books, we love our girls books. Books. Welcome to Dads on Books. I'm Dave and we are dads and we're on books. So Mike, I have a question for you. Yeah. Have you read any good books lately?

and

Mike Walker (00:14.638)
That's on Pokes. I'm Mike.

Not physically. Yes.

Yes, I read. Mrs. Big Tats and her ass full of cats.

Had you read anything else?

I'm thinking, I don't think so. think lately I have been reading articles a lot about technology and robots.

David Patrick (00:43.592)
Perfect books! Yes, and I read one recently. was new to me. Well, the book I read is called Big Words for Little People.

I should read.

Mike Walker (00:53.954)
which is a book that I have in front of me that I haven't read in a long time.

Right, that's actually the one I was thinking you would say when I said, have you read any books lately? And then I realized, you haven't read it lately.

Lately, Because I didn't realize that we were recording this book today. So I did not read it because I thought we were recording it later.

So this is Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrations. I'm gonna learn how to pronounce that word one day. Pictures by Laura Cornell.

Yes. But on the cover, it just says Jamie Lee Curtis, Laura Cornell. does not say that Laura Cornell only did the pictures. So I'm actually wondering, no, when you get to the fourth page in the book, it does say text copyright by Jamie Lee Curtis, illustrations copyright by Laura Cornell. So you are correct, but it does not say that.

Mike Walker (02:02.421)
on the cover of this book.

You're right, and that's interesting. That's a deliberate choice, because usually it does. And I wonder, like, you know, who decided that?

Yes. Don't turn away from the microphone. I'll cut that.

Yeah, I had to pivot and look at the book because it's a long book physically.

Yeah. Like physically it is a big book because, know, takes a big book to have big words. So it's not really a story per se. kind of just goes through and talks about different words and in sort of a story format.

David Patrick (02:25.473)
It sure does.

David Patrick (02:36.814)
You're absolutely right. And I alluded in our previous episode, I forgot exactly what I said, but something about we can do books whether or not one of us likes them, kind of.

That led me to believe that maybe you didn't like this one so much.

Well, bad news, good news. I didn't at first, but that lack of like quickly dissipated. So my first impression when I went to the very first spread was, wow, way too busy for me. In addition to it looked too busy, I went to the judgment side, because it is busy. Yes. It's not simple. It's a lot. But the negative side was it's too much they're trying too hard. Then I did something silly. I kept an open.

I continued and I kept an open mind and thought, no, this is really cool. And you're right. It's not much of a story. I didn't think about that, but clearly it isn't. It's just a way to teach big words. But there's some other teaching going on, which I started to kind of look at later and really liked it also. And then as not with our first two books, but as with Mrs. MacCats and her house full of cats.

This one has a ton of really fun art. Yes. That you can look at and keep discovering things. Even much more than Mrs. McTats and her house full of cats.

Mike Walker (03:59.756)
Yes, I'm bringing all of my memories back into my head while I look at the pictures and I'm noticing, yeah, I remember looking at the pictures, but I don't remember really digging into them that much. On the first page of the story, basically says, I know some big words and I'll teach them to you. And that is what the book is about. Exactly. It follows the same kids.

but not in any sort of, this is happening and then they're gonna go do this with the family or go someplace with their friends. It's just the big words, lead this book.

Yep. To use a small word that big people would use, there isn't much of a plot.

But and however, but as you you pointed out first two short and simple sentences, she tells us what she's going to do in the entire book. And I can envision reading this with a child and going how cool.

Or I'm not sure about this because it's just about big words. Why am I trying to get my kids to say big words?

David Patrick (05:12.386)
So anyway, so I really, really do enjoy the book. We'll talk more about that at the end when we give the thumbs up or down.

But never actually done thumbs up and thumbs down because that's somebody else's rating system.

you're right! Sorry, yikes, don't sue us, please.

Well, maybe we should have a rating system. That's a bad idea. We'll think about that for next time. Yeah, exactly. Or by the end of this, maybe one of us will have an idea of how to rate.

At a rate. There is a rating joke later on in this book that I absolutely loved. But anyway, so yeah, that's okay. I love it. Another thing we haven't really talked about is this book is written in verse. I don't know nor will I even attempt to find out or determine if it's iambic pentameter or couplets, but it is written in verse. There's rhyming, there's patterns, which is great for when you're reading to a child.

Mike Walker (05:43.438)
Great.

Mike Walker (06:04.926)
Absolutely. And then there's also the almost rhyming thing, like you think you're going to go one way and then you just say something that's just different.

Yeah, but close. Yeah. And there's probably a literary word for that, almost rhyming. That's not the words, almost rhyming, but that's it. We're calling it because it's, you know, almost rhyming.

And it's like misleading your reader to think you're going to say one thing, but then you say another thing. That's even funnier. of the timing. To use something that a friend of mine says often.

Exactly

Ha ha ha! Taming!

David Patrick (06:43.51)
Yes, I wonder who that could be. The famous late 20th century philosopher S. Martin. Is it better or worse to mislead your reader or to misread your leader?

My wonder.

Mike Walker (06:58.378)
We're not a political show, so let's not mis-do anything.

Moveon.org. Because this is my. Yep. So because this is my literally my second time to look through the book, I am noticing some really cool stuff in the art. I'm on the second page where our protagonist says, Hey, I need privacy. Yes. And she's in the bathroom and the mirrors fogged up and she had written privacy.

Uh-huh.

David Patrick (07:32.396)
with her finger in the mirror and her wet hair is draped over her face. The messiness of this book, I love. My first impression was too messy and now I love the messiness because the messiness is portraying realistically family life.

Absolutely. I agree with that. And I'm going to take us back to long, long ago on a previous episode and bring into the page directly before that. I just have to say the cat looks scary and mean and sort of like an overgrown squirrel that has cat fur. It's one of those, my gosh, I don't think I would have noticed the cat except that we were just talking about cats.

Yes, are you referring to the giant ball with the giant tail, the tiny head, and holding that blue bowl? That's-

Indeed. It's hilarious. And I just went back to see if it was in the first picture and indeed the very large cat is in the first picture as well.

You're right. I didn't see it in the first picture and I was like, wait, where is Mike? There's no cat there. Oh, that, oh, wow. That's cool.

Mike Walker (08:41.93)
So I just realized something. If you look at that first picture and you look at all of the kids in that picture and then you flip to the second picture, there's a picture drawn of all of those kids with what kind of looks like Mrs. McPats. I have a feeling that this was a theme on purpose. That all of these kids

Ha ha!

Mike Walker (09:11.04)
So let me explain. All of the kids are very different. There's an Asian girl. There's a black boy.

Little black boy, he's the youngest. He's wearing diapers and glasses. Yep.

and twins and then the magician and the privacy girl.

I think she's our protagonist.

She's our Olivia in this book. Like right before this, I just realized, this is a family. It's not just a bunch of people like, I had a sleepover and all these people came over. No, this is a family, which brings me back to Jamie Lee Curtis because I believe that her daughter's adopted. I may have to go Google this right now so that I know if I have to cut it out.

David Patrick (10:00.31)
I love it. Well, and while you're doing that, Jamie Lee Curtis is married. Do know who she's married to?

No, tell me. I knew that. I did know that and I think it's hilarious. They're both theater, film, TV, people, whatever, talented, very talented people. how did that meeting happen? I'm sure there's a good story there.

Christopher Guest. you did, okay.

David Patrick (10:25.726)
Sidebar I catered an event when I was living in LA and they were at the event. And it was some kind of fundraiser thing and I don't remember exactly the details, but I wasn't just catering I was able to ask hey Can you sign up for this raffle or whatever was and they kind of looked at me like go away? And they weren't being it was clear and I should have known that they weren't the people I was supposed to be talking to kind of thing right like they weren't

They were annoyed, they weren't mean, they weren't inappropriate. I don't like spreading bad stories about people and they weren't bad, they were good, but I'm sure you'll include none of this in the final, so whatever.

interesting. But I think the reason that I think I'm right about the whole adoption thing is that we actually, my wife, Kim and I, of whom you know both of us, we were flying probably back to Chicago at some point, living in LA. And I got the wife nudge, got elbowed. And I was like, what?

Cause I was, I don't know, reading or something. Look over there. I'm like, where? Right across from us. she gave me a lead, Chris. That's cool. And then I went back to reading because everyone has a private life. And when you're taking your kid to the airport, and actually I don't think she was flying. So maybe it was before they really clamped down on.

She's like,

Mike Walker (12:02.06)
Nobody getting past security when there was no security. So I feel like it was that long ago, but it was really cool because, you know, what'd you do this week? I went and flew somewhere and saw Jamie Lee Curtis waiting for a plane. So we both have a story about her. I love it. That she would never ever actually ever think about.

Yeah.

David Patrick (12:24.91)
Hey, back to the book. So I think what you're getting at is I at first didn't really notice or care much about the makeup of the characters, but it is clear early on. This is a family with at least one adoption, probably two. And once I noticed the repeating of the characters, I had to go back and look at that. But now as I'm listening to you and looking back at the, I need privacy spread. Yep.

There's a giant thing of toothpaste and it's funny because it says, glowy teeth with bleach and antibiotics.

Yes.

But it also says, it says large family size.

And that I think is what led me to realizing that this was a large family. Yes. If you hadn't figured it out by the picture on the wall, toothpaste was going to smack you in the face with it.

David Patrick (13:20.066)
Big tuba!

Yes, and it sure did, but it's also not prominently featured. also noticed even more things. Yes. I just noticed another thing. She has a green all over her face. So I'm like, that's probably some kind of beauty mask. And there's a beauty. There's a thing on the sink that says mask of beauty with all this green goo coming out. But look at the cup next to it holding the toothbrushes. What is that? Do you think?

There are many, toothbrushes. is it watercolor?

Many, many,

Yeah, this book is also ink or pencil and watercolor, one of my favorite media, as you know. But what do you notice about the cup that the toothbrushes are in?

Mike Walker (14:06.638)
It's yellow and looks like maybe a cityscape? that's New York.

I would agree, but without the maybe. Exactly, but when is it? Exactly, because you clearly see the Twin Towers. I flip back, this book was published in 2008. Nothing's unintentional in these things, but that is an older cup, because in 2008 it's a cup that predates 2001.

pre-September 11th.

Mike Walker (14:28.216)
Yeah.

Mike Walker (14:34.21)
Very interesting. Good catch.

Thank you. Another detail, there's what looks like a hand sanitizer or lotion jar there on the sink and it says anti-plack with aloe. I know, I'm like wait a second, is that a G or a C? But then it says with aloe. So if it's anti-plack, that would be for teeth, aloe doesn't matter. If it's anti-plag, you're not worried about moisturizing, you just wanna live.

That's a G.

Mike Walker (15:03.19)
This was well before COVID.

Yes, but well after the Black Plague of the early thousands or whenever that was.

Even today, it still happens. There are a case or two per year because I've actually read this somewhere and not just Wikipedia. A real news source.

Wow, so it must be true. Yes, but it doesn't wipe out a third of Europe.

No, because now we have things like antibiotics that kill the black plague that's carried by rats and bats and other things.

David Patrick (15:36.91)
According to the Glowy Teeth toothpaste, large family size, we have bleach and antibiotics. So that's important.

Anyway, antibiotics, very important.

But the point is we don't have three hours, so we're not going to go over every detail. But one of the things I love about this book is we mentioned teaching in our last book, and this one is teaching big words because there are words like impossible and celebrate and stupendous and they're all they all feature prominently. Exactly. I also noticed at one point the consequence spread. Turn to that one.

would love to ask you which page that is, but... No, no, there it is. I found it. No page numbers in... Any of these books. Any of these books. no, I thought one of the episodes, one of the many, many episodes we've done. Mm-hmm. I like, I feel like at least one of those books had page numbers.

Mm-hmm

David Patrick (16:33.07)
don't think they do. anyway, so on page 14, a couple things. First of all, what do you notice about the colors? It's awesome.

Okay.

Mike Walker (16:44.91)
green and pink. Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. I just went with that because that's the first thing I thought. And wait, it does look like there's a frog on the picture on the wall. Anyway, going to...

I like it. I didn't notice that.

David Patrick (16:57.038)
Yes, yes, more than one actually. there are four. I did two.

I noticed. I know what you're, no, no, I noticed what you were getting at.

Well, for those of you who don't have the book in front of you, on this page, she did something bad. So she has to stay inside because of the consequences of her actions while all of her classmates and friends are out in recess.

and she is obviously irate. is red. It's pink, but...

Mm-hmm. How do know that Mike? It is and this is But this is not another mask. This is actual emotion and redness because she's mad and the other thing that's interesting about this page is With the exception of the green frogs and maybe a couple of three other tiny bits of color Inside is basically black and white outside is vibrant exuberant color Yes, her friends are having a blast and she's not and the window is open

David Patrick (17:52.96)
a little bit so you can probably hear them and some of them are looking in. She is not happy.

She is not happy. And I thought it was funny that when I realized where you were going with that, I looked at the little kids that are looking in the window and almost mockingly.

I'd say that Peace Necklace Boy in the camo shirt with the purple shoes, he is mocking.

absolutely. Really into Bob Fosse.

All that jazz!

Mike Walker (18:26.178)
He has got some crazy jazz hands.

I love it. I actually want to point out what might be a slight error. That boy, the art of his glasses is tucked inside the window sill. Not the window, so the window itself. Yeah, It's funny. Yeah, and if you look at the very far left side of the window, there's someone else's green sleeve doing the same thing. Doesn't bother me. Just something. what it is.

Yes.

Mike Walker (18:40.312)
Yeah, yeah, that's

Mike Walker (18:51.598)
Yeah, and then right next to the green sleeve, spoiler alert, the fish died. not in the lack of food. Yeah, he's got food in her mouth. And if you look at the art on these pages, you will notice what we are talking about.

No!

David Patrick (19:10.102)
Yeah, Judy is the fish. There's a little jar. It has a sign taped on it. Judy's food. There's also a Have you fed Judy today? And has the days and X's and maybe someone did or didn't. There's not a missing day. but what I was also going to point out about this is in addition to teaching big words, there are some good values in this book because this one's about there are consequences for your behavior. I like it. It's not banging it over your head.

Absolutely.

No, but like on the next page, it's all in red. yeah! And it says, when dad takes a shopping to buy new shoes and all of us shout, this one I choose, the salesman looks angry. He's pretty irate. He looks irate. And the red spread conveys that as well.

It's very jarring because it's the entire background is red and it's one of the first times we've had an entire background one color. Yeah, it's pretty cool. And again, tons of detail.

It is very cool.

Mike Walker (20:10.311)
So many things to talk about in there that I think we should go to a new page.

I could not agree more. are you noticing that someone, either Jamie Lee or Laura or both are really, really big fans of a certain movie that was made in the 1960s?

my gosh. I noticed that on, think it might've been in the first page. Yep. Somewhere in there. I swear I saw that too. You did. then the backpack on, I'm assuming it's the Asian girl. I think it's her backpack because she's the one that is in trouble. And her backpack is there in the background and it says, the hills are alive. And it also has that.

in the impossible page. yes, somebody, somebody, somebody liked the sound of music.

The sound of music. Well, and what you were talking about, I went back to the very first page. There is a pink favorite things box in the corner with an autographed or at least something picture of Julie Enders.

Mike Walker (21:17.012)
I was like, I know it's gotta be in there. I could not find it though. Right next to that, the curtain dress, authentically Alpine series.

my goodness with the same green curtains when she made those dresses as seen in I think it says AUST could that be Austria? No way. I was gonna say it doesn't mention the sound of music on that one at all but it kind of does as seen in AUST. Wow! Yeah. That is so cool.

And it's amazing. Like all of these little boxes and things. You're right. Like you look at it at first and you're like, my God, there's just too much. It's crazy. whatever. I just can't process all of it with my ADHD. I don't know where to look first, but then I start focusing in. Spring is in the air. Every box here has something written on it. And even little pieces of paper have things from arts and

David Patrick (22:29.134)
Hey, did you notice that the Asian girl is wearing the dress made from the curtains? I just noticed that.

She is making the pattern so that she can cut it out.

Yep, on the opening spread she's lying down on the fabric and tracing her arm. That is so cool. my gosh, how funny. So again, as I mentioned with our previous book, Mrs. McTats and her house full of cats. Full of cats. The question is, did the author have the completely written thing out and then just give it to the illustrator? Did they collaborate? Did they go back and forth? This is interesting because there's so much in this back and forth. Yeah.

and then highest level possible PG-13. It's on the appropriate inappropriate page. Yeah. Obviously some words are inappropriate for smaller children. Yes. And probably some movies that somebody was in are probably not right for, you know, toddlers to watch.

Yeah, I see what you did there. I don't know when she chose to show Halloween or 48 hours of trading places. One of those she was in. But another thing about the PG-13, that is something I noticed when I first read it. It says highest level PG-13 possible. Just the other day I was telling someone about 16 candles and that was PG and you look at it and go, that wouldn't be PG today. No.

Mike Walker (23:52.046)
Absolutely not. They didn't even have PG-13.

Yeah. Well, they were simply G, PG and R. Yes. So it makes sense that it was PG back in those days, but today, no, not at all. at all. so many great details in this book and I keep finding more on the disgusting page. The giant, she's making something in a blender. Yep. And it's flying everywhere. My kids have done that. I've done that thinking, I can put the spoon in.

Yes.

David Patrick (24:24.696)
I'm not gonna hit the blade as I spray purple stuff all over my kitchen and ruin a fine spoon.

I'm not that dumb.

Mike Walker (24:31.58)
and think about that white shirt you were wearing.

yeah. But what's fun is the text on this page is mixing stuff up from the kitchen to drink that looks really gross and has a big stink. She doesn't mention a blender or smoothie or anything. And now that I'm thinking about it, Mike, I think that maybe with this book, Jamie Lee Curtis wrote it and she gave it to Laura Cornell and said, what do you think? And maybe Cornell just came up with ideas. Because in this particular book,

The words aren't as specific to the draw.

Very interesting. And if you look there at the table, they're being sous chefs and getting stuff ready to bake. But there's a NAHCO3, I think, which I would have to like actually have had chemistry to remember what all those letters mean. Maybe you can help me out.

Can I help you out? Yeah, so when I first saw the NA, you know what NA is? Sodium? Correct. So you know what NACL is?

Mike Walker (25:35.682)
Yes, salt. Because that's what I thought it was going to be. And then I started looking. I'm like, wait, I'm not sure.

Me too. I was like, so, no, not there's where's the chloride based on the box itself and that they're baking. So you have baking powder. Yeah. And right next to it is a rectangular orange box that you.

In soda?

Ding ding ding ding ding! You are correct. So I'll bet that NaHCO3 is the chemical name for baking soda.

And they kind of make this abundantly clear right below that. It says, yes, cooking. It is a science. So I'm pretty sure that they were trying to throw little things in there that when you find them, you can talk to your kids about them.

David Patrick (26:22.562)
Yes, and also what's really cool, back to the cooking that you mentioned that they have everything kind of set out. Yep. In French, that's called mise en place, which means put in place. But I'm also noticing the strawberries and the blueberries are arranged in rows. In addition to teaching preparation, mise en place and cooking and science, there's also... Yes, math, exactly.

counting. 11. Which just brings me back to Spinal Tap. It goes to 11. Well, could you have just made 10 louder? But it goes to 11.

What goes to

Mike Walker (27:05.184)
I feeling that somebody was being funny.

I'd like to think that Jamie Lee gave this manuscript to Laura and Laura in creating the art thought I'm going to do a nod to her husband and see if she notices. Anyway, that's just.

And then who's the big Julie Andrews fan? That's what we'd all like to know. Yes.

Like if we ever got to the point where we could sit down with the authors and interview them, we'd be like, okay, Jamie, Laura, first question, who's the sound and music fan? Just want to know. And tell us that 15 minute origin story.

It's been years since I've even looked at this book, but I knew it was still on a shelf in the basement. And not because I was looking for my giving tree book. So this morning when you said, we should do this. I said, okay, great. So I went out and found it on the bookshelf. that. That was me snapping. I don't know if that comes across, but Ooh, your snap was better.

David Patrick (28:05.76)
Well, I'm also going to do another one. Just brace yourself. I'm gonna put my finger right should I Mike.

Go.

Sorry about that. Can you sign this liability waiver saying I'm not liable for any of the damage to your ears? Thank you.

Can we move to the page that says inconsiderate as the word dad would pick? I'm a dad and I'd like to pick that for you.

So I need to show you. Yes, I can find that page because I had this idea. I'd be using Post-its to mark the most important pages. Well, yeah, in these two books, I have one Post-it. Now the trick will be is I look at the page now and go, why did I put the Post-it here? I honestly have no idea.

Mike Walker (28:39.598)
everything's important.

Mike Walker (28:52.302)
I think it's because it takes it back to the being polite and having manners.

Awesome. That is not it. But no, no, no, no, you're good. And by you're good. I mean, why you are it's not you're bad. It's you're good. Because that's something really cool. Again, with the lesson. They're not hammering it over your head. And they're not showing any perfect people or perfect families. They're just saying, Hey, these are important values. And I love that.

I think that they are kind of showing the perfect family. Because they're all together.

Yes, they're perfect because they're together.

Always. Yeah. Like on each page, all of the kids are together and they're all playing together, doing things.

David Patrick (29:35.02)
And that reminds me of something that Monica and I talked about. My wife Monica, for those of you who don't know who that is, when we first met, and we're courting and getting engaged and getting married is that I'm not perfect. She's not perfect. We aren't perfect. We're not the perfect couple, but we are perfect for each other.

Aww, that's so sweet.

But you reminded me of that because that what this family is the family's not perfect. None of them is perfect, but they're perfect for each other with all this mess and chaos, which leads me to I do remember why I tagged the spread. Yeah. Go back to inconsiderate.

Okay.

Okay, I thought it was the other page because that's where your Post-It note was stuck.

David Patrick (30:15.104)
Yeah, but I remember now exactly. good catch. Nope, it is about mom's little green. What was that? you're right. Okay. I see that.

Is it about the cat?

Mike Walker (30:23.224)
platypus?

Or a goose. Sorry, it's the page before there's a goose.

And there's Duck Duck Goose and all that. Now it's mom's green eye poking out from the covers. Inconsiderate is the word dad would pick if you woke up mom when she's feeling sick. I love that. It's such a great image. But I don't know about you, Mike. Have you ever been, have you or Kim ever been woken up by your kids when you did not want to be woken up by your kids?

Traumatic pause? No, never!

David Patrick (30:57.144)
Well, that's funny, Mike. I have. The last time it happened was actually yesterday.

Tuesday? no, yesterday.

Nice. Yesterday was Sunday. had our first improv show at the theater and Monica was on call and at work and I decided I was going to take a nap because I'd gotten a lot done. So I buried myself in my blanket, my weighted blanket, my pillows because I have a CPAP. I can completely bury myself and still breathe. And I still, I still heard them watching TV. And so my blue eye poked out from the comforter and just thought, okay, I'm not taking a nap.

today. this is just one of those moments where I read this book and I'm like, I have so been there yesterday. Yeah.

And obviously somebody else has been too.

David Patrick (31:43.434)
Exactly. So it's great. And there's so much of that in this book and any good book parents read to their kids. We've done a lot of puzzles in our family. So the puzzle page is hilarious. World's largest puzzle, 60,000 pieces. And then it's like, you know, it's all.

Yeah.

Mike Walker (31:59.502)
Blue.

You know what's funny about when you read those? was sitting there going in my head, she mentions all the other things that would be very hard puzzles. And I'm like, where did she draw those? She didn't. It was just on the puzzle box and you read it. Lunar eclipse, mudslide, night scene, all the things that would be incredibly hard puzzles because it's one giant shaded thing of one kind of color. That's all.

And then you look over because I thought that that was this picture at first because I didn't read the part that's highlighted in red But then as you were talking about I looked over and said this one's called clear skies

HAHAHAHA

And that makes a lot of sense.

David Patrick (32:48.126)
I love the last one's my favorite, fresh asphalt. Not just asphalt, fresh asphalt. You can see that it's all black, it's shiny, and you can see the little vague outlines of the grains or granules of asphalt, whatever. Just so many cool details.

Yes.

Mike Walker (33:04.248)
There really are, especially all of the nods to Julie Andrews and the sound of music. even when they're shoe shopping, new from Paris and Austria. It's funny because I'm, just looking through, still trying to find whatever it was, but as I'm flipping, I'm just catching all of these little details that really take the time and look at all of these little tiny pictures and

Catch that.

Mike Walker (33:31.648)
look at the nuance and see that there is some amazing stuff going on in there.

to sum it up, we were talking about the beginning of the book and our impression and wait, are these people a family, et cetera? Of course they are. And there's a great picture of the family towards the end. And it's just really sweet, lack of better word. They're a family and it's really cute. And then of course, love all that stuff.

Yes, but the funny thing is you start with the tallest person in the family and you work your way down and there gets to be more and more words. And then by the end, you just see the little boy's hair.

Yeah, the twins, you see them from like the nose up and then the baby, you just see his hair and his little...

It's so funny. It's awesome. Really fun book. there are things that my kids and I will still say something and will say one of the words because we read it so many times. My brother, I think, bought Stella this book.

David Patrick (34:30.228)
Wow, is that how you reintroduced to it? Wait, does Bill have kids?

I love that. Because sometimes we get some great books from people who don't have kids and who knows how they discovered it. Right. But you're the one that introduced us to Olivia because you read that with your girls. So you're the person that gives the book because you did experience it with your kids.

Right. Cool. And it really is fun because senior kids use these big words in the right context when they're six. It's like, my gosh, that is so cool that you know that. It shouldn't be a surprise because kids just soak up everything. That's how they learn. It's awesome that this book came into our lives.

Well, this is a good time to wrap it up. I wrote down a couple of ideas. I checked the book out from the library. Okay. And now that I've read it and you and I have talked about it, do I try it or do I buy it? I'm gonna buy it.

This is our rating system, I guess.

David Patrick (35:29.728)
Yep, I had another one. Read it or delete it. And then I of course, can't figure out the ending, but check it out or I don't know, turn it back in, take it back, whatever. I mean, we'll figure it out, but I.

nice.

Mike Walker (35:43.723)
the that's funny because it kinda goes back to the beginning of this when we were talking about the writing

Okay, I gotta figure out what the almost rhyme is called by literary people But anyway next

Yes. Time when yes, it's all literary honest. research illustrations.

The Iliad, the Iliad. The Tursk. Drawn by. With this one, try it and buy it. I'm definitely buying both of them, actually, both Mrs. McTats and Big Words. I shall return to the Great Bind Public Library and I shall buy the books for my library.

Definitely.

Mike Walker (36:30.018)
You should probably get a membership at your local bookstore because I have a feeling you're probably going to end up buying a lot of books. So find which of your local bookstores you really like. Our bookstore unfortunately closed down at the end of last year.

I think you might be right, Mike.

David Patrick (36:48.48)
It's funny because you just brought up a whole other thing. Support your local bookstore and you'll be shocked to learn. I do know of not one, but two niche, small, recently opened bookstores. One's in grapevine, not too far from the library. And I went and discovered it, but there's one even closer here in Keller in our town where it's open three days a week. It's a really neat store and it doesn't mean

Hey, do you have this book? It means, hey, if you don't, can you order it for me? By the way, I have a podcast called Dads on Books. I mean, the point is, it's a great way to support a local bookseller. It doesn't mean they're gonna last forever. It doesn't mean Barnes and Nobles or Amazon will go out of business.

No, but support the local places because they're the ones that need it. Even if you buy a majority of your stuff on Amazon for your Kindle, when you want something that's a physical book, which all of the books we've talked about, you should buy. Yes. Then you should go to a physical bookstore and physically buy them so that you support your local bookstore.

and support your neighborhood. So I will actually be doing that soon. And I will be saying, hey, my friend Mike and I have this thing and we're reading these books and if you don't have them, can you order it for me? I would love to buy it through you.

Love it. That is a great place to stop because this is really long. happy reading.

David Patrick (38:23.052)
Happy reading everybody.