Reading Roundup August 2011

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 24
Early Readers: 3

Sources
Library: all

Standouts
Writing: Detective Blue by Steve Metzger, illustrated by Tedd Arnold
A tapestry of different nursery rhymes serves as the backdrop to the burning question that Detective (once Little Boy) Blue must solve: where is Miss Muffet? This tongue-in-cheek piece of fun will entertain older kids playing hunt-the-reference in the illustrations as well as the text.
Illustration: Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng, illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Pretty much any month in which I read a book illustrated by Yuyi Morales, it's gonna win my Illustration award. I love her curving, swirling style. That being said, this book is something special for all the little details packed in there.
Overall: TIE
Rooster/Gallo by Jorge Lujan, illustrated by Manuel Monroy
A rooster turns the night into day, and then back into night again in this lyrical, dreamy book. You guys, I'm in love. Extra points for being fully bilingual, yet simple enough for someone with my Sesame-Street command of Spanish to read aloud.
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Without words, Raschka tells a story of loss, grief, and returning joy through the framework of a dog and a ball. Pretty slick.

Because I Want To Awards
Most Harrowing: Underground by Shane Evans
Definitely a picture book for parents and older children to read and talk about together.
Where Else Could a Twenty-Foot Two-Year-Old Get Lost?: The Wicked Big Toddlah Goes to New York by Kevin Henkes
Just Plain Fun: Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage