Our family just got back from a little beach vacation time. Breathing in the salty air and swimming all day are definitely things we are missing now that we are home in our beloved but land-locked city. It's the kiddie pool for us until school starts! Luckily, with Chu the panda around, even the plastic pool from Target looks cool.

Chu is a panda with a good heart but a crazy sneeze. His sneezes seem to wreak havoc with every achoo! (one word for Chu's parents - antihistamines) On a summer trip to the beach with his mom and dad, Chu is having a blast - eating ice cream, watching the people on the sand, looking out at the ocean. Until . . . his sneeze causes quite the commotion actually splitting the sea apart. His sneeze broke the ocean! Only another sneeze can make everything right again.

My two year old just loves it when books have funny noises, and the way Chu's sneezing is written on the page was sending him into belly laughs. The pictures are very detailed with a lot of action and intricate characters. We spent a lot of time just looking at each page and finding interesting little details.

This is a great addition to our collection of beach-themed picure books. It might even replace our all-time favorite beach book, Bats at the Beach. Do you have any favorite beachy picture books? Any recommendations for me? I love hearing about a book I haven't read yet, so let me know!

Neil Gaiman is one of those super-human types that fascinates me with his versatility and creative ability. He is the ultimate writer chameleon. He moves from genre to genre - adult novels, comic books, children's picture books - and seems to master them with ease. This is another perfect example of his mastery - a story about a man with the craziest hair you have ever seen!

Now, how crazy is his hair? Exotic birds nest in it! Explorers set out on expeditions inside it and are never seen again! It is home to tigers, carousels, gorillas, and dancers! One day the crazy haired man meets a girl named Bonnie who wants to tame his wild style. She wants to (gasp!) comb his hair. He does his best to convince her that this would be a bad idea and even a dangerous idea, but she insists that she must.

The illustrations by Dave McKean have this unique collage quality and provide the dark edge Mr. Gaiman's work is known for. The texture in the hair illustrations is so realistic that you will touch the page to see if they are real. My hygiene-resistant son is one crazy-haired guy, so this books makes us both laugh as the descriptions of what lies in his hair get wilder and wilder as the book progresses. I'll be honest with you. Summer time at our house = mommy is willing to fight less hygiene battles = let the crazy hair fly!