How to Get Married by Me, the Bride

My five-year-old granddaughter and I have read and re-read this book many times, always finding something new to smile about. We love the messy baby character who eats bugs and too many chocolates and wears a mustache with a blanket as a veil to the eventual wedding. While some of the advice in this funny book is meant to make you laugh, like "Never get married when it's dark because you won't be able to see and might marry the wrong person"; some is too true, like "If you marry a noisy shouting person, he will give you a headache." HOW TO GET MARRIED is meant to be a children's book, and succeeds marvelously as such, but I can also imagine it as a giveaway at bridal showers. It will be appreciated wherever its readers have a sense of the wry and witty.

I sincerely doubt any of the vehement critics on this page claiming "How to Get Married...by Me, the Bride" is liberal propaganda even read this book. Those that did and maintain this opinion probably hated "Go Dog Go" for its "dangerous depiction of mammalian automobile manipulation". Joking aside, "How to Get Married" is a charming tale of a bossy older sister daydreaming of her wedding day, written by an accomplished Christian author. I'm not sure where "radical indoctrination" comes in, but angry detractors would be well-served to read another Sally Lloyd-Jones' book, "The Jesus Storybook Bible" before casting stones.

This is a charming companion to the superb "How to Be a Baby, by Me the Big Sister." What's remarkable about these two books is their unreserved entry into the thinking of the child, without affect, persuasion or judgment. What could be more wonderful and rare for a child than to be wholeheartedly joined in their own world? The honesty and resulting hilarity of this fanciful young narrator who sees herself a part of the adult world but is every inch in the child-world are a joy. I heartily agree with Publishers Weekly, which had this to say: From the creators of How to Be a Baby... by Me, the Big Sister, comes a rambunctious and entertaining "guide" to getting married, narrated by an overzealous little bride. There are a few rules-"you can marry anyone you like! (Except they need to like you back)"-and traditions ("Now you throw a big bunch of flowers at people's heads"), but this bride's idea of marriage is all about pretend: when it comes time to say "I do," she's wearing a paper crown and the groom, a feathery, blue wig. With just a wisp of practical advice, this is a stylish and witty companion book. Ages 4-8.

Sally Lloyd-Jones has written a delightful book from the perspective of a little girl and she knows how little girls think. Seeing a perverse political agenda here is just silly -- like criticizing Madagascar II because the zebra falls in love with the giraffe or Beauty for marrying the Beast. It's especially silly to suspect this particular author of having some insidious motive. Just read her Jesus Story Book Bible -- one of the best books ever written for kids and grown-ups too.

This book is a light-hearted look at life through the eyes of a child. My daughter was four when she told me she was going to marry her Daddy. He was a shining prince to her. I loved the fact that she doted on him, and I loved that he was the best Dad ever. I don't think this was creepy or twisted. Most little girls love to play dress-up and play-act marriage early on in life. This books gives a whimsical view through the eyes of a child. In no way is the author trying to put forth a liberal agenda, or to suggest that marriage to flowers should be allowed! I think as adults we sometimes lose sight of the vivid imaginations that children have; we are distressed when we see all the evils out in the world and we can inadvertently attribute those evils to things that are really meant to be innocent. If you don't want to read this book to your children, then please don't. But if you are considering buying the book, please read the other favorable reviews and see that its a wonderfully light-hearted book, written by a children's author who has a great understanding of young kids, and that it is a fun, amusing read for little kids. I highly recommend the authors' other books too. We have most of them and have had years of enjoyment from them.