Clio's New Book

A week or so ago, Grandma emailed me to say she had made a little birthday present for Clio, and to keep an eye out for the package. As she herself pointed out, she doesn't usually make things, so we were intriuged. Well, it arrived, and we let Clio open it as an early gift (her birthday is July 5). And it may be one of the single best gifts ever.

This one needs some background, too. When Dave was a toddler, he was given a book called Come Play With Me. The authors were Barbie and Glenn Peterson; as Dave's parents also happen to be named Barbie and Glenn Peterson, I suppose Aunt Fern couldn't resist the coincidence. The book addresses the reader directly ("I'm glad you came to play" "Would you like some milk and cookies?") with a series of full-bleed photos depicting a day of play-date activities. Clio loves this book. When we're in Morrison, she forces us to read it over and over again.

Clio opened her present yesterday afternoon,

And discovered Come Visit Us, by Barbie and Glenn Peterson.

Following the same format as the original, the book is full of pictures of Clio doing various activities on the farm, from feeding the calves to collecting branches. ("you can help Grandpa feed the Calves" "You can help Grandma collect the branches")

What could be better for a self-portrait obsessed toddler than a book all about her? I think I have already read it 4 dozen times. It would have been more, but I pulled a bait and switch and hid it for a little break.