Reading Roundup: June 2012

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 14
Early Readers: 1

Sources
Library: all

Standouts
Writing: On My Way to the Bath by Sarah Maizes, illustrated by Michael Paraskevas
The protagonist takes bathtime avoidance to a whole new level with her imaginative distractions. Can't wait to see what the storytime folks think of this.
Illustration: The Tree House by Marije Tolman and Ronald Tolman
This wordless picture book follows a couple of bears who discover a tree house and are joined by friends. Read it through a few times. Linger for awhile. You'll find yourself wanting a treehouse of your own.
Overall: Small Bunny's Blue Blanket by Tatya Feeney
It's the classic tale of separation from your best blankie. Like all the best picture-book writers, Feeney pares her story down to the bare essentials. In so doing, she both taps into and respects the raw emotions of a small child. I want to see more from her.

Because I Want To Awards
Read it Solely for the Illustrator: Elephants Swim by Linda Capus Riley, illustrated by Steve Jenkins
I think at this point I could recognize Jenkins' animals, as realistically rendered as cut-paper collage will allow, from across a room. Love 'em.
Big Giant Hee!: Oh No! Not Again!: (Or How I Built a Time Machine to save History) (Or at Least My History Grade) by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Dan Santat
The young narrator of this pair's first outing is back, and attempting to fix her A- grade on a history test (horrors!!) by building a time machine and going back so her answers are all correct. As you do. This is one for older kids, particularly those who like to pore over the pictures to catch all the jokes.