Two Books To Score Points With Your Little Brother

A word of warning: I like to give little useless facts that will help you smile (maybe) during a rough moment in your life, but won’t earn any Pulitzer prizes.

The first fact is one my sixth-grade teacher, Ms. Doyle (who is now Mrs. Chitum) will appreciate, if she remembers: In Guatemala there is a small town called Quetzaltenango. In the World Book Encyclopedia, there is a point right above Ecuador called Point Essex. And my final fact: Zakuska is another name for appetizer.

Anyway, this time, I have two books that could help you get in some quality time with your little brother or sister without being embarrassed with what you are reading (or, if you are a little brother or sister reading this, ask your big brother or sister about these). These books are not “Pushy-Wushy and the Mushy Wushy” or anything like that.

The first book is “Pat the Beastie” by Henrik Drescher. This book is short, but if you laugh really easily, and hard, it will take about 15 minutes to a half hour to get through.

I will tell you one thing. There is a very entertaining page with a scratch-and-sniff sticker on Beastie’s feet.

The second book is “Outside and Inside Snakes” by Sandra Markle (especially recommended by my little brother, Steven). The pictures are great, but the writing is a little dull if your little brother always starts conversations with “Did you know that…?” and lists every fact in the whole darn book! If that happens, then the book is kind of a waste, but it is fun seeing if they were wrong about anything.

Thanks to Steven, for getting me to read these books.