Suzy Becker

OK, if you have cats or love cats or are ever around them for a period of time, then you must take 5 minutes and fly through this hilarious little gem that has wonderful insight in speculating how cats view their role in our households, quite often giving very funny reasons for the rather unexplainable things our feline friends do. Simple color cartoons with very basic captions, but quite a few literally made me laugh out loud. A great change of pace and i highly recommend this. My copy show more lives on top of a shelf unit just as you walk into my personal library at home, in hopes that all who enter might just pick it up and flip through it. Come on.....everybody's can spare 5 minutes for a laugh! show less

I got my copy of this from the author herself. I admit that this made me pick it up and read it straight through. That, plus the fact that it is a great read. Becker shares her chapter of not only having, but recovering from, brain surgery with humor, honesty and a great deal of light. I'm left asking the question of myself... What's my excuse for not figuring out who I am? I always appreciate an author who's words stick with me long after, prompting me to keep thinking.

It's such a pleasure to read a novel for children that not only echoes what it means to be a fifth grader but is a good fit for younger aspirational readers as well. Peppered with humorous illustrations that add a kind of sub-narrative to the story, this is a real-world reflection of annoying scout leaders who change the rules (unnecessarily), having to be friends with kids you don't like, wanting to stand out as an individual, and both loving and ruing your dorky parents. As Kate navigates show more scouting, school projects, and band auditions, she gains solid (and definitely not insipid!) insight about what friendship really means. Delightful. Publisher's galley received via NetGalley.com. (38) show less

Illustrator Suzy Becker always assumed she'd be a mother, but when "the right time" had yet to manifest naturally by the age of 39, she decided to have a baby on her own, which proved to be slightly more challenging than she expected.

Such a fun memoir with charming illustrations -- I very nearly finished it in a single day. The experience brought back so many memories as I vividly recalled having shared many of the same concerns, choices and fears before and during my own pregnancy.