I can’t clean my room!Written and illustrated by Jessica WilliamsPublished by All Write Here PublishingReview by Michelle ShawISBN 9781777739300 $11.99 In this whimsical book, Saskatchewan author and illustrator Jessica Williams relates the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination. And, even though this is clearly a children’s book, as the mother of a teenager whose room is also more than a little chaotic, I find it very relatable. The story is a familiar one. Josephine’s father enters his daughter’s room at bedtime to find a big mess. He can’t understand it and asks his daughter specific questions about the state of her room and her toys. But Josephine has a perfectly logical reason (to her mind at least) for each of her father’s dismayed observations. She can’t pick her books up for instance because “the fairies will yell. They’re practicing reading and learning to spell.” As for her laundry, she can’t possibly fold it because “the gnomes would be shocked, and what will they wear if they can’t find my socks?” The story is so original and entertaining. The Illustrations are playful and the little girl with the gap-toothed smile will capture your heart. I especially love the…

How’s Peanut?by Brenda Redman, Illustrated by Wendy NordellPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Michelle ShawISBN 9781988783666 $14.95 Trying to explain complex concepts to children can be tricky. Explaining things in simple terms that they can understand and relate to can help to make the process a lot easier. In this fun children’s book author Brenda Redman has done just that. When Brenda’s daughter told her she was pregnant, she was ecstatic. The baby was nicknamed “Peanut”, and Brenda excitedly received regular updates from her daughter about how the baby was growing. After “Peanut” was born, Brenda was inspired to write a children’s story which her children encouraged her to publish. And so, How’s Peanut? was born. The book tells the story of a grandmother-to-be regularly getting updates from her daughter about how the pregnancy is progressing. The baby grows from the size of a peanut, to the size of a plum, to an avocado and slowly progresses to the size of a watermelon. Each stage is also described in terms of development. For example, “The baby is now 24 weeks old and is the size of a cob of corn. The baby can also hear my voice when I…