I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way

By Thad Krasnesky, Illustrated by David Parkins

Flashlight Press, $16.95, 33 pages

Emmy is a bratty three-year-old if there ever was one, yet a very smart one as well. She plays up the fact that she’s cute and only three. Quite frankly, she is a terror around the house. She takes her siblings’ things and makes huge messes. Her mom is usually right there to protect her. On a Sunday morning Emmy decides to entertain herself as usual and creates a disaster around the entire house. She figures she’ll get away with it since she usually does, but this time is different. Emmy, for the first time in the book, receives a punishment of getting sent to bed.

I sweetly answered, “Don’t blame me. Did you forget? I’m only three!”

I Always, Always Get My Way will resonate with parents everywhere. Children go through phases, such as the terrible twos, and it is hard to discipline small, adorable children when they look up at you with those innocent eyes. In most cases, they have outwitted you and know exactly what your kryptonite is. Parents will chuckle, and children will realize there are consequences for their actions. Iraq War veteran and author Thad Krasnesky uses a rhyming style that makes it fun to read and fun to listen to, making it a perfect bedtime story. Well-established illustrator David Parkins does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of a mischievous three-year-old

Reviewed by Jennifer LeBrun