Well, this is a book that i wanted to read; one i wanted to read and absorb, but not one that i wanted to pay for. That might sound a bit contrary…but, this book was written by Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone. It is sort of a memoir, or an unofficial biography; one i am sure that Madonna was not overly thrilled to learn about before it was published.
The reason that i didn’t want to purchase the book is because of a little something that i have tagged, called an unwritten sibling rule. That is a rule that is just understood between family members that no matter what…family is family and supports one another; no one picks on your siblings…unless it is you of course, at home. It sort of goes against the grain to know that Madonna’s brother would write a sort of tell-all about his sister, for money.
Of course, no one knows a person like their own family and therefore there is much interest in who Madonna is and what makes her tick. The thing of it is…in reading this book…i think that we discover as much about her brother Christopher as we do about Madonna herself. 
It becomes a two for one book!
I do think that he makes an attempt to explain how Madonna thinks and therefore why she does some of the things that she does. In trying to explain her to us…often, he makes excuses for her. There is, at least to me, some real boundary issues in their relationship…or former relationship. They mix business and family; it appears to work for short bursts of time and then it doesn’t. There is a strange mixture of maverick behaviors, ambition,music,artistry,design, dance, relationship issues and religious issues; those are mixed with issues related to the loss of their mother. It makes for a very complicated relationship.
It is as if, Madonna is the sun and Christopher and others, in her life, are planets who are drawn into her orbit. Nonetheless, it is an interesting read if you are into the psychology of family dynamics.
This book was copyrighted in 2008 and published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. You can view their site at: www.SimonSaysTheSPOT.com
Tasty Baby Belly Buttons is a Japanese folktale that is retold in this book written by Judy Sierra. The story tells of the Oni (which is something like an Ogre) who come into a Japanese village and steals the babies of the village to have their favorite snack—baby belly buttons. The adults of the village are frozen with fear.
One young child who was gifted to her aging parents; as they had no children and so hoped for one. She arrived in a melon as a newborn babe; therefore…she had no belly button to steal. Her mother always dreamed of a child to teach to make millet dumplings with. The father always dreamed of a child to teach how to be a warrior to protect those who were weak or helpless. Together they raised this young child to do wonderful things. She alone… was brave enough to battle the Oni and win the babies of the village back.
This book may not be for very young children as the images in the book may be a bit too scary for them. If they love to be dazzled with stories of good versus evil it may be fine…you just have to know your child. The drawings of the Oni are a bit big, overwhelming and repulsive…as scary things should be. But if your child is meek or easily frightened this book may not be for them.
Tasty Baby Belly Buttons was illustrated by Meilo So. The book was copyrighted in 1999 and published by, Alfred A. Knopf and distributed by Random House, Inc. http://www.randomhouse.com/kids
Rainy’s Recommendations
