Reading Roundup: December 2014

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 17

Sources
Library: all

Standouts
Writing: Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
Seriously, you will regret it. You'll let all those monkeys out . . . and the toucans . . . and the crocodiles. You don't want to see what happens next. (You do? I despair of you.)
Illustration: Daisy Gets Lost by Chris Raschka
From what I heard, Raschka's publisher wanted him to continue Daisy's story. It was a good call. The plot is in the title, but the watercolor-and-gouache illustrations in this wordless book convey all the pathos and empathy that made A Ball for Daisy so special.
Overall: The Storm Whale by Benji Davies
A lonely little boy makes a friend, but he won't be able to keep him. With simple, gentle text and glorious seaside vistas, I kept wanting to re-read this.

Because I Want To Awards
The Minerva Louise Award: Christmas Wombat by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley
There is immense charm in a book where the reader knows more than the narrator, particularly if you're reading it aloud.
You Guys, There are Teeth in This Book: Cute and Cuter by Michael Townsend
You would think you'd get sugar poisoning from this book. You'd be right, up until the point where Lady Meow-Meow disrupts the happy and adorable home life of Sir Yips-a-Lot by getting all of Janie Jane's attention. Then it's seething resentment and underhanded plotting. Oh boy!

Reading Roundup: November 2014

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 9
Early Readers: 1

Sources
Library: 10

Standouts
Writing: Little Nelly's Big Book by Pippa Goodhart
Hee! And hee! And hee again! Led astray by an encyclopedia without pictures, an elephant believes that she is a mouse and tries to move into a mousehole. Luckily, she finds sympathetic hosts, but it still makes life difficult.
Illustration: Beautiful Oops! by Barney Salzberg
I noted that I could see this as inspiration for an art program. Salzberg takes common mistakes and catastrophes that plague artists (torn paper, spilled coffee, blotched paint) and turns them into more art. It's very fun trying to guess what he will make of something.
Overall: Hide and Seek by Il Sung Na
A group of animals plays the title game. Who will be the winner? I'm not saying, but here's a hint: the chameleon's on every page, but just try and find him.

Because I Want To Awards
Almost Got Marked the Overall Standout: Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle
Flora is back, and at play with a penguin! They skate and dance together until penguin gets hungry, and Flora turns up her nose at his fish dinner. Uhoh. Can this friendship be saved? It's simple, spare, and lovely.
Are We There Yet?: A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse by Frank Viva
An impatient mouse, a very patient kid, and a trip to Antarctica. Because where else would you take a mouse?