Reading Roundup: February 2011

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 30

Sources
Library: all

Standouts
Writing: Cooking With Henry and Elliebelly by Carolyn Parkhurst, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
I'd so watch this brother-and-sister cooking show, with pirate hats! The sibling-ness rings true without descending into annoying schlurp, and the fact that it's a boy who wants to play pretend cooking makes my neo-feminist soul sing.
Illustration: Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit by Catherine Rayner
Rayner's delicate watercolors are fun, certainly, but the real reason this gets my illustration pick is the metafictive concept of a moose who literally can't fit in the book, and the way he manages in the end. So maybe Mo Willems did it already, but I'm still keeping this on hand for storytime.
Overall: Art and Max by David Wiesner
Oh, please. Like I need to explain. Okay, I'll do it anyway. Think you know how art works? Think again. Wiesner's brain-bending glory of color and concept shows us that art is everywhere.

Because I Want To Awards
Awwww: Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley
Keep Your Eye on the Elephant!: Bella and Stella Come Home by Anika Denise, Christopher Denise
Return of the Wombats!: Diary of a Baby Wombat by Jackie French