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!