The Adventures of Bert - Allan Ahlberg

I brought this one home as part of my new promise to Ivy that I will bring her a new book every day from school.  It's easy enough to grab one from the shelf on the way out the door.  This is one I've had my eye on for years, but never picked up until this year.  

With spare language, Ahlberg has created a book that could count as an early reader, but works just fine as a picture book.  There's plenty of fun detail (the little spiders, the cat hiding under the bed that you never quite get to see), but it's very simply done.  The end of each chapter reminded me of Kitten's First Full Moon ("Lucky Bert!").  I liked the way the story came full circle from morning to night.  Whimsical and short, this is a fun one to read twice in a row, which is what we did.

Ivy liked the part where the reader wakes the baby and makes her cry!

Awesomeness: 5 - just another nice picture book

Wordsmithing: 6 - quirky

Personages: 6 - I would have enjoyed hearing from Mrs. Bert?

Mesmerizitude: 7 - kept me reading to the end

Illustrations: 6 - sweet and colorful