Reading Roundup: October 2014

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 11
Early Readers: 2

Sources
Library: 12

Standouts
(Links tomorrow. The WorldCat site seems to be down. Boo.)
Writing: Here Comes Santa Cat! by Deborah Underwood
I'm a fan of books featuring protagonists unsure of their Christmas-morning fate, and desperately trying to tip the scales toward "nice." Blame Calvin and Hobbes. With snappy back-and-forth dialogue between the narrator and the cat (with signs), this one will be fun to read aloud.
Illustration: Up, Tall, and High by Ethan Long
Comparative measurements get the perfect visual treatment with fold-out pages that demonstrate how what's high to one bird might be low to another, and so on.
Overall: Gravity by Jason Chin
A picture book about one of the forces holding the universe together? Why yes, I've got one right here! In simple, accessible prose suitable for storytime (!), Chin explains gravity, how it works, and how it affects us, with bonus stunning visuals.

Because I Want To Awards
Oooo, the Gnashing of Teeth: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and John Klassen
The ending is sort of like a rug pulled out from underfoot, but the more I thought about it, the more it worked for me. Bonus: except a few polysyllabic words, this would work well for early readers.
Far Fetched? As Far as It Gets: Maya Makes a Mess by Rutu Modan
What else can you call a story in which a poorly-mannered preschooler gets randomly invited to dinner with the queen, and subsequently convinces said monarch to eat like . . . well, a preschooler? Oh, I enjoyed this. Can you tell?